Human consequences
Longarone is almost entirely wiped off the map within minutes.
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FloodVajont disaster
1,917Deaths
Not quantifiedDisplaced / homeless
Not quantifiedEstimated cost
- 1,917 deaths according to the most commonly accepted toll.
A landslide of about 260 million m³ breaks away from Monte Toc and falls into the Vajont dam reservoir. The wave overtops the dam, which remains intact, and devastates Longarone and the villages of the valley.
Consequences
Environmental consequences
The reservoir is filled in by the landslide; the valley is transformed.
Economic consequences
One of the tallest dams in the world becomes permanently unusable.
Political consequences
A high-profile trial follows: the instability of the slope had been reported, and officials are convicted.
Further reading
Similar disasters
- Malpasset Dam failureFlood · France1959
- Storm XynthiaFlood · France2010
- Great Flood of ParisFlood · France1910
- Vargas tragedyFlood · Venezuela1999
In the rankings : The deadliest floods No. 5
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