Modern Mysteries

Costa Rica's 'Cave of Death' kills anything that ventures inside

By T.K. Randall
May 11, 2024 ·  1 comment

Fire is quickly extinguished within the cave. Image Credit: YouTube / gvr63 At first glance, the cave - known as 'Cueva de la Muerte' in the Spanish language, might not seem particularly dangerous. It is small, making it barely large enough for a human to fit inside, and there are no perilous drops, sharp stalactites or any other obstacles that would seem to be dangerous.

If you tried to crawl inside, however, you might find yourself feeling a little strange. Within a few seconds, you would fall unconscious, your breathing would stop and you would literally die.

For any human visitor, the plethora of warning signs surrounding the cave's entrance, coupled with its awkwardly small size, ensures that such a fate would be highly unlikely.

For small animals, though, a quick venture inside inevitably leads to an early demise.The reason that the cave is so dangerous is that it is almost completely filled with carbon dioxide - enough to cause almost immediate unconsciousness and death.

"This is a very small cave, but it's unusual in that there is a substantial seep of carbon dioxide gas coming from the far slot at the back of the cave," said cave explorer Guy van Rentergem.

"Small animals will enter the cave and asphyxiate, usually in a few moments."

Inevitably, the dangerous nature of the cave has made it more popular than ever, with tourists flocking to take selfies and to get as close to it as they can.

Suffice to say, if you do ever happen to find yourself at Costa Rica's 'Cave of Death', stay well clear.


Source: Mail Online | Comments (1)

Tags: Cave