The pilot has lost control
of this plane.
And even if you survive the crash,
you’ll fall into one of the most
toxic places on Earth,
Lake Natron.
Its corrosive water can
eat away human flesh,
and kill you by poisoning.
So, to survive this,
keep watching.
Located in the remote region of Tanzania,
in East Africa,
Lake Natron is one of the most
toxic places on Earth.
Part of its toxicity is caused
by the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano,
located on the lake’s southern coast.
This active volcano expels a strange magma
that's rich in sodium
and potassium carbonate.
It's known as natrocarbonatite,
or natron.
The magma flows into the water,
making it extremely alkaline.
The desert's salty rain soaks into it.
Unlike other lakes,
Lake Natron’s water doesn’t run
into the sea or other streams.
Instead, it evaporates,
and the sodium stays behind.
This increases the lake's salinity,
making it even more lethal.
Most animals cannot survive
these corrosive waters.
If they fall in,
they could die before touching
the bottom of the lake.
Ancient Egyptians used
the same chemicals
to turn dead bodies into mummies
by eroding the skin
and calcifying the remains.
So, if you don’t want to be reduced
to an empty bone skeleton,
keep watching.
Lake Natron’s water
can reach 60 °C (140 °F).
That's hot enough to give you
third-degree burns
in five seconds or less.
And with the water's
high concentration of salt,
you would dehydrate quickly.
So you really need to stay out of the water.
"Get out of the water".
If you're in a vehicle
that crashes into the lake,
climb onto anything
that can help you stay out of the water,
and find something
you can use to paddle to shore.
Avoid using your hands.
If an emergency happens,
and you have a dry suit,
get into it fast.
When you're in Lake Natron's
corrosive water,
the dry suit can help insulate your body
from the sodium.
But you still need to get to shore fast.
The salt will soon dry out the suit’s fabric,
and once it touches you,
it can burn your skin
and corrode away your tissue.
If you fall into the lake
during the wet season,
it could be up to 3 m (10 ft) deep.
The good news is
you won't sink
due to the extremely high
salt concentration in the water.
The bad news is,
you know,
the hot water will burn you.
No matter what,
don't let the water get in your mouth,
nose, ears, or eyes.
The water is almost as corrosive
as ammonia.
So if you swallow it, you'll die.
And if it splashes into your eyes,
it can permanently blind you.
So, forget about your swimming lessons
and keep your head above the water.
In 2007,
a documentary film crew
was flying over Lake Natron.
Its surface was clear and beautiful
that morning.
But the helicopter's landing skid
hit the lake's surface.
The entire craft plunged into
the corrosive water
and caught fire.
Cameraman Ben Herbertson
recalls that the hot, salty water
was burning his eyes.
The pilot broke his leg
and suffered severe cuts to his face.
The producer broke his hip.
Herbertson and other passengers
helped them out of the chopper.
The water wasn’t deep,
so they tried to drag
their wounded to shore.
But Lake Natron is 1,040 m² (11,194 ft²)
in size,
so they had a long way to go.
Fortunately,
they were just a few kilometers (miles)
from the coast.
So Herbertson and one of the guides
rushed to the nearby Maasai village for help.
The guide speaks the Maasai language
and quickly explained what happened.
The young villagers improvised stretchers
with their walking sticks and clothing,
so they can lift injured passengers
out of the lake’s hot, dangerous water.
The entire team survived,
but the pilot and producer
were flown to hospitals in Nairobi
and South Africa.
This caustic lake could be fatal to you,
and many other animals.
But surprisingly,
it is full of life.
Every three to four years,
up to 2 million lesser flamingos
take advantage of the islands
in the middle of the deadly lake
to raise their babies away from predators.
They are so well adapted
that they feed on the salty algae
growing at the bottom of the lake.
Since 75% of the world's population
of this near-threatened species
is born in this harsh environment,
Lake Natron is essential for its survival.
So, looks are deceiving.
You know what else is deceiving?
Falling into a sea hole.
I bet you want to know how to survive that.
Keep watching.