What is the story of Vajont?


What is the story of Vajont? On October 9, 1963, a landslide in Italy leads to the deaths of more than 2,000 people when it causes a sudden and massive wave of water to overwhelm a dam. The Diga del Vajont dam was built in the Vaiont Gorge to supply hydroelectric power to Northern Italy.


How were people killed in the 1963 Vaiont Dam disaster?

A wave of water washed above the lake to Casso and Erto, communities above the reservoir, where the air blast and water destroyed buildings and caused at least 158 fatalities. Five downstream towns were destroyed including Longarone, Pirago, Rivalta, Villanova, and Fae.


What catastrophic collapse of St Francis dam caused one of the largest loss of lives in California to this day?

Francis Dam in the San Francisquito Canyon. Nearby these haunting reminders, there is a sign: “On March 12, 1928, just before midnight, it collapsed and sent over twelve billion gallons of water roaring down the valley of the Santa Clara River. Over 450 lives were lost in this, one of California's greatest disasters.”


What was the biggest dam break in the world?

Banqiao Dam Failure (China, 1975) The Banqiao Dam failure is considered the deadliest dam disaster in history. Heavy rainfall caused the dam to collapse, leading to a catastrophic flood. The estimated death toll ranges from 26,000 to 171,000, with millions of people affected.


What dam collapsed in Italy in 1923?

On 1st December 1923, the failure of the Gleno dam caused a huge disaster, which devastated the Scalve valley in the province of Bergamo in Lombardy (northern Italy).


Why did the rockslide at Vaiont Dam result in so much loss of life?

The falling rock mass acted like a huge piston, pushing the water of the lake against Casso and Erto, two small villages on the slope in front of the slope that failed, and then over an artificial dam 210m high. A large wave overtopped the dam and reached the town of Longarone at 10:46 p.m., destroying it.


When did the Saint Francis Dam collapse and break up which caused the devastating flood?

Three minutes before midnight on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam collapsed, sending over 12 billion gallons of water and debris rushing down the Santa Clara River Valley from San Francisquito Canyon to the Pacific Ocean, 54 miles away. In six hours more than 450 people were swept away in the dark and murky waters.