Autor: Michele Longo

Deutscher Text nicht vorhanden On 10th March 2000 torrential rains (37 litres/m2 according to a local weather station) and melting snow from the slopes surrounding the Novat artificial reservoir at a mine in Baia Borsa, Maramures region, Romania, led to an unmanageable rise in the reservoir’s water level. At about 11:00 a.m. on 10th March, approximately 20,000 tonnes of mineral waste was flushed into the River Viseu from the decantation reservoir of the Baia Borsa Preparation Enterprise mine. The waste been stored following the processing of complex ores of lead, copper and zinc. The accident led to pollution of the

Deutscher Text nicht vorhanden On 30th January 2000 at 22:00 hrs, a breach in the tailings dam of the Aurul S.A. Baia Mare Company, released some 100,000 m3 of cyanide-rich tailings waste into the river system near Baia Mare in north-west Romania (Maramures district). This spill released an estimated 50-100 tonnes of cyanide, as well as heavy metals, particularly copper, into the rivers Somes, Tisza and finally into the Danube before reaching the Black Sea. Aurul S.A. is a stock company, jointly owned by “Esmeralda Exploration Ltd.”, Australia, and the Romanian “Compania Nationala a Metalelor Pretiosasi si Neferoase”, established in

Deutscher Text nicht vorhanden The Aznalcóllar pyrite mine tailings dam, which stored mining sludge and waste, is near Seville, in southern Spain. On 25th April 1998, its reinforcing wall collapsed releasing thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals and heavy metals into the surrounding countryside, including the River Guadiamar, which flows directly into the marshlands of Coto Doñana. As a consequence of the mine’s retention wall failure, 2 million m3 of highly toxic pyrite sludge and another 4 million m3 of acid water leaked into Spain’s treasured Doñana National Park, a major haven for migratory birds on their way between Africa

Am 9. März 1976 stürzte eine der Kabinen der Seilbahn auf die Cermis-Alm ab und riss 42 Menschen in den Tod. Das strafrechtliche Verfahren ergab, dass das Bedienungspersonal den Sicherheitsmechanismus abgestellt hatte, der die Notbremse auslöste, wann immer das Zugseil das Tragseil berührte. Auf Grund starker Schwingungen legte sich das Zugseil über das Tragseil, und da der Sicherheitsmechanismus abgeschaltet war, wurde dieses durchgescheuert, was zum Absturz der Kabine führte. Am 3. Februar 1998 durchtrennte ein Flugzeug der amerikanischen Marines bei einem Übungsflug das Tragseil der Seilbahn auf die Cermis-Alm und verursachte dadurch den Absturz einer der beiden Seilbahnkabinen und den

Im Juli 1987 war es in Südtirol aufgrund der Hitze zur Schmelze des in den höheren Lagen gefallenen Schnees und der Gletscher gekommen. Auch Niederschläge trugen bei, dass sich der Zufritt-Stausee in Hintermartell füllte. Dieses Wasser aus den Niederschlagstagen im Juli blieb bis August im Becken, sodass es bis zum Rand gefüllt war. Am 24. August regnete es den ganzen Tag. Der Stausee drohte über seine Ufer zu laufen. Am Nachmittag soll das Wasser dann einen halben Meter in der Stunde angestiegen sein, was bedeutet, dass insgesamt 500.000 m³ Wasser in den See flossen. Die Strombetreiber zogen aber lediglich 25.200

Deutscher Text nicht vorhanden The Buffalo Creek flood was an accident that occurred on 26th February 1972 when coal slurry impoundment dam 3 built on a hillside in Logan County, West Virginia (USA), by the Pittston Coal Company collapsed. In the days preceding February 26th, rain fell almost continuously, although experts later claimed this was typical for late winter weather in the area. Buffalo Mining officials, concerned about the condition of the highest dam, measured water levels every two hours the night of the 25th. Although a Pittston official in the area was alerted to the increasing danger, the residents

Deutscher Text nicht vorhanden On Friday, 21st October 1966, at 9:15 a.m., colliery waste tip number 7 (containing waste rock from the local coal mine) slid down Merthyr Mountain in South Wales (Great Britain). As it collapsed, it destroyed twenty houses and a farm in the small village of Aberfan, before going on to demolish virtually all of Pantglas junior school and part of the separate adjacent senior school. The pupils had just left the assembly hall, after a music lesson, when a great noise was heard outside. Had they left for their classrooms a few minutes later, the loss

Deutscher Text nicht vorhanden On 28th March 1965, at 12:35 p.m. two tailings dams serving a copper mine in El Cobre district (Chile) suddenly collapsed. (Picture: A copper mine impoundment in the Andes.) The small copper mining town of El Cobre in the path of the flow was annihilated with over 200 deaths occurring. This failure was triggered by a 7.5 Richter magnitude earthquake. The first impoundment (Antiguo) was commissioned in 1930, but after a new (Nuevo) dam was constructed in 1963, the Antiguo (old) dam was used only periodically as a standby. The dyke had been built by upstream