Today in History: Thousands die during landslide in Italy
Within minutes the town had virtually vanished and nearly 2 000 people were dead.
On this day in 1963, a landslide in Italy led to the deaths of more than 2 000 people when it caused 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. Located 16km northeast of Belluno, the dam wall rose 267m above the Piave River below and was a full 22m wide at its base. The construction of the dam created a large reservoir, which held more than 8 500 cubic metres of water. While the dam was solidly constructed, its location was a poor choice.
The Vaiont Gorge was located in a section of the Alps known for instability. In 1963, the area experienced extremely heavy rains — about 1 400mm by 9 October. At 10.41pm, the wet land could no longer hold and a massive landslide came crashing down from Mount Toc, causing a huge pile of dirt and rocks to plunge into the reservoir at about 112kp/h.
The impact of the debris caused an immense wave of water to rise as high as 90m above the level of the dam. Workers living alongside the dam were killed instantly. The displaced water crashed over the dam and into the Piave River below.
It stormed down the river and engulfed the town of Longarone. Within minutes, the town had virtually vanished and nearly 2 000 people were dead. The tsunami-like wave then rushed down to San Martino, where it killed hundreds more.
In the aftermath of the disaster, Mario Pancini, the engineer of the dam project, was summoned to court to answer questions regarding what was known of the geology of the area prior to the dam’s construction. He killed himself before his scheduled appearance.
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