The most horrifyingly mysterious lakes in the world

Thousands of lives lost, mysterious inhabitants, poisonous lakes - are just about the most mystical and Erie bodies of water on our planet. Even Placid lakes with crystal clear cater sometimes concealed deadly threats for those who decide to plunge in for a swim or even set up camp on the shore. Here are the most horrifyingly mysterious lakes in the world.

1.Blue Lake, Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia

Blue Lake is one of the most unusual lakes in Russia. It doesn't get its water from rivers or streams, instead of underground springs feed into the lake below its surface.
The blue color comes from the water's hydrogen sulfide content. The Lakes depth has been measured at 258 meters, deep enough to submerge the Seattle Space Needle with nearly 75 meters to spare and due to the erosion of the rock at its lowest depth, it's only getting deeper. Some scientists believe that Blue Lake hides the world's largest system of underwater caves beneath its surface.

2.Lake Natron, Tanzania

Not only does Lake Natron in Tanzania kill its inhabitants, but it also mummifies their bodies. Mummified flamingos, small birds, and even bats frequently wash up on the shores of the lake. Even more horrifying- the victims are preserved in stone in their final poses as if trapped in a brief moment in time.
Countless microorganisms give the water on the shore a bright orange color, slowly fading to a bright red hue moving toward the center of the lake surface. Evaporation and fumes from the lake often scare away large predators, attracting large numbers of birds and small animals seeking refuge from their natural enemies. They live their lives on neutrons shores, reproduce and mummify after death. Increased alkalinity and a high concentration of hydrogen in the water contribute to the regular discharge of soda, salt, and lime. As a result, lake inhabitants don't decompose after death.

3.Lake Michigan, USA

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes shared between the borders of the U.S. and Canada. Few people know that this body of water destroyed hundreds of lives. There aren't any monsters and the water here is far from dead, but that doesn't exclude this massive lake from being dangerous.
It's all about unpredictable underwater currents that cause rushing riptides. They're a huge risk for swimmers on the shores of Lake Michigan claiming the lives of a surprising number of victims, especially during the warm season. Riptides can suddenly suck people away from the shore with incredible force, making escape virtually impossible in some cases. In autumn it becomes especially dangerous for boats and fissures as spontaneously rising currents on the surface of the water can cause huge life-threatening waves.

4.Lake Nyos

Lake Nyos in Cameroon rested quietly for centuries providing water for many neighboring villages, but below the surface, there hit a cataclysmic secret. The lake became known all over the world when the seemingly peaceful waters released at a deadly force of nature on August 21st, 1986. A thick cloud of suffocating gas rose from the lake leaving no survivors; people, livestock, birds, fish and even insects living near its shores -all perished; 1746 human lives we're lost.

Scientists from all over the world arrived at the site of the tragedy. They discovered that the lake had been hiding a volcanic crater previously thought to be dormant. Huge stores of carbon dioxide had suddenly erupted through the cracks at the bottom of the lake into the water. Once the gas accumulated in a critically high concentration, countless noxious bubbles broke on the water surface releasing the lethal gas into the surrounding population. Carried by the wind the invisible clouds destroyed all living creatures nearby. Scientists say that carbon dioxide continues to flow into the lake and people can expect another release.

5.Dead Lake Kazakhstan

This lake with a terrifying name is located in Kazakhstan. The locals have long avoided it believing it to be cursed. Locals tell some chilling stories about mysterious disappearances and not even necessarily in the lake itself. According to their stories, many have drowned leaving a vast number of corpses at the bottom of the lake.
Allegedly most of them were visiting tourists ignorant of the dangers. Despite what you may think the name doesn't originate from mysterious disappearances, but because of the unusual properties of the water. The lake can't sustain life: no fish, no frogs-nothing. Apart from that, the water remains extremely cold even during the warmest season and the water doesn't evaporate despite neighboring bodies of water evaporating twice as fast.

6.Lake of Death, Italy

We know about Sicily thanks to the famous Sicilian Mafia and the volcano Etna resting on the island, but there is another equally dangerous site-‘’ the lake of death’’. The water contains a high concentration of sulfuric acid, as a result sustaining life is impossible. Any organism that enters the water dies in a matter of minutes.
It's rumored that the Italian mafia used this lake to dissolve the bodies of their victims; the consequences for rejecting offers that can't be refused. It's uncertain if the rumors are true, but that must be because all the evidence was dissolved in the lake, right?

7.Lake Karachay, Russia

Lake Karachay in the Urals is considered one of the most polluted in the world. A couple of hours walking on the shore is basically like sitting in an x-ray machine for hours without a lead line covering. Needless to say the resulting death by radiation poisoning would be slow and excruciatingly painful.
Once a living lake it was destroyed in the 50s when it was used as a storage facility for liquid radioactive waste. Now, the water level has fallen sharply revealing much of the terrain below the surface. The Russian State allocates huge amounts of money annually to reduce the radiation levels in the water. In the coming years, once the water is gone, the lake is scheduled to be filled in, but burying the problem won't solve the continued groundwater contamination.

8.Boiling Lake, Dominican Republic

Aptly named because the water boils. The water temperature reaches 92 degrees Celsius or 197 degrees Fahrenheit. So yeah, a quick swim could cook you like a lobster. As a result, the surface is shrouded in thick white steam and swimming is of course strictly forbidden.
The lake rests in a volcanic crater and is constantly getting hotter. Even when the temperature decreases, jets of hot air or even lava periodically belch from the bottom of the lake.

9.Lake Pustoye, Russia

Lake Pustoye is located in Western Siberia. Pustoye(meaning blank or empty in Russian)derives its name from the fact that it doesn't support animal life, but what else is new, right? There are plenty of waters that can't sustain life such as the Dead Sea or many of the lakes in this list.
However, the chemical composition of Lake Pustoye isn't much different from that of the surrounding bodies of water. It's even safe for human consumption. Moreover, several pristine living rivers flow into it. That said, wild fish never swim into the lake because they know the consequences. Residents even tried to stock the lake with crucian carp, but they all died soon after. Scientists have tried to study this strange phenomenon, but results are still inconclusive.