Vajont Dam- Italy- October 9th 1963. Two thousand lives wiped out by the greed and corruption of a few wicked men

FACTOID:

WHERE: Vajont Dam . Longarone, is situated at about 100 kilometers North of the city of Venice, Italy.

WHEN: October 9th 1963 at 10:23 pm.

WHAT HAPPENED: A PORTION OF A MOUNTAIN (270 MILLION CUBIC METERS IN WEIGHT AND TWO KILOMETERS IN LENGHT) FELL DOWN ON THE BASIN BEHIND THE DAM (CONTAINING 115 MILLION CUBIC METERS OF WATER) 30 MILLION CUBIC METERS OF WATER CREATED A HUGE WAVE THAT OVERPASSED THE DAM AND FUNNELED ITSELF INTO A CANYON LEADING TO THE VALLEY BELOW, DESTROYING VILLAGES AND TOWNS ALONG WITH 2000 LIVES IN A MATTER OF TWO MINUTES.

CAUSES AND RESPONSABILITIES:

Before the dam was even built, sismologists had warned the company that was financing the project (SADE) that the site was not safe for such a venture. The TOC mountain (from which the huge amount of material came down) was always considered INSTABLE. The company ignored the warnings…