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Many tribespeople made the journey on foot, juggling colorfully wrapped loads of household goods on their heads. Along the way, dead cows and birds dotted the hills. Some refugees tucked cotton in their nostrils to dampen the sickening stench of decomposing animals. The surviving white Brahman cattle lumbered dumbly at the sides of the columns, responding sleepily to the harried urgings of herdsmen carrying long, thick sticks.
Certainly, the various medical specialists will want to know why some villagers and animals were able to survive the deadly cloud. Colonel Michael Wiener, the physician who headed the Israeli medical team, speculated that survivors may have been positioned in air currents that somehow escaped contamination. At least one survivor's good fortune involved more than plain luck. Dennis Chin of Su-Bum told reporters that he had been lying on his bed when the choking gas descended. As he gasped for air, Chin dragged himself to a windowless shed behind his house, where presumably there was enough oxygen to enable him to wait out the calamity.
It is uncertain what the long-term health effects of the gas will be on people in the region. Chin's fellow villager, Wambong, for instance, has yet to recover feeling on one side of his body. Most of the survivors, however, seem to be in fairly good condition. Despite the fact that there are lingering respiratory problems, doctors say the worst is over. Still, secondary infections are anticipated. Indeed, by week's end one Israeli medic had treated at least 50 cases of pneumonia, and more were expected to follow.
The economic costs of the tragedy are difficult to calculate. The impact on the immediate area is likely to be devastating, although the effect on the entire country will be minimal. Compared with most of its fellow African states, Cameroon is well off. As a leading exporter of coffee and cocoa, the California-size land is one of the most economically stable countries on the continent. While much of Africa is hunger plagued, Cameroon (named by Portuguese settlers after the camaroes, or large pink prawns, found in vast quantities off the country's Atlantic coast) has achieved virtual agricultural self-sufficiency.
The country's 10 million people enjoy a per capita annual income of $820, more than four times that of Africa's poorest countries. Strong economic ties to the U.S. and other Western countries have further enhanced Cameroon's well- being. An enduring link with France, one of its many former colonial overseers, has enabled the country to develop its oil reserves.
But the gas disaster could be a blow to the area's agricultural output. The noxious cloud settled over fecund farmland, and the long-term costs could be significant. "The farmers here were famous," said an official from the Wum Area Development Authority. "They grew good crops and healthy cattle. This is a rich valley. The farms are the best in the whole region." Unfortunately, the lands surrounding Lake Nios may have to be evacuated permanently if scientists determine that a recurrence seems likely.