In a distillery, a 5,000-m³ tank containing 1,000 m³ of ethanol at 96% concentration exploded when lightning struck and then ignited. The raised roof fell into the reservoir, which remained intact. However, the tank foot valve cracked upon impact. An[...]
In a gold ore retreatment facility opened in May 1999, a settling basin for tailings storage collapsed after a 25-m long crack formed. A total of 287,500 m³ of effluent laced with cyanide (400 mg/l, 115 tonnes total) and heavy[...]
An 11,000 m2 warehouse storing crop protection products, stuffed toys and life jackets was flooded following a heavy downpour. The operator prepared, repackaged and palletised the stored products. The site is located on the foot of a hill and is[...]
In the storage tanks of a refinery (production: 5 million tonnes/year), smoke was detected on a 94,000-m³ capacity floating roof tank containing 47,000 tonnes of light crude oil (flash point: 38°C). Shortly thereafter, the surface (4,800 m²) ignited. In the[...]
At 10:39 pm, the landslide of a portion of Mount Toc sent 260 million m3 of earth and rock hurtling at more than 90 km/h into the full reservoir adjoining the Vajont Dam. The falling rock nearly instantaneously filled the[...]
The break of the Malpasset Dam, a 60-m high arched structure with a thin diaphragm wall, caused 421 victims and displaced 7,000 more. After several days of torrential rains, this dam set up on the Reyran River north of Fréjus broke[...]
