It is terrible to realize how much evil man has done to himself and the planet on which he lives. Most of the damage has been done by large industrial corporations that don't think about the level of danger of their activities in order to make a profit. And it is especially scary that the catastrophes also occurred as a result of tests of various types of weapons, including nuclear ones. We offer 15 of the biggest disasters in the world caused by man.

15. Castle Bravo (March 1, 1954)

The United States conducted a nuclear test in March 1954 at Bikini Atoll, off the Marshall Islands. It was a thousand times more powerful than the explosion on Hiroshima, Japan. This was part of an experiment by the US government. The damage caused by the explosion was catastrophic for the environment over an area of ​​11265.41 km2. 655 representatives of the fauna were destroyed.

14. Disaster in Seveso (July 10, 1976)

An industrial disaster near Milan, Italy resulted from the release of toxic chemicals into the environment. During the production cycle, when receiving trichlorophenol, a dangerous cloud of harmful compounds entered the atmosphere. The release instantly had a detrimental effect on the flora and fauna of the territory adjacent to the plant. The company concealed the fact of leakage of chemicals for 10 days. Cases of cancer have increased, as was later proven by studies of dead animals. Residents of the small town of Seveso began to experience frequent cases of heart pathologies and respiratory diseases.

The meltdown of part of a nuclear reactor on Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, USA, released an unknown amount of radioactive gases and iodine into the environment. The accident was due to a series of human errors and mechanical failures. There was much debate about the scale of pollution, but the authorities withheld specific figures so as not to raise a panic. They argued that the release was insignificant and could not harm the flora and fauna. However, in 1997, the data was re-examined, and it was concluded that those who lived near the reactor had 10 times more manifestations of cancer and leukemia than others.

12. Oil spill from the tanker Exxon Valdes (March 24, 1989)

An accident on an Exxon Valdez tanker released a huge amount of oil into the ocean off Alaska, polluting 2,092.15 km of coastline. As a result, irreparable damage to the ecosystem was caused. And to date, it has not been restored. In 2010, the US government stated that 32 species of wildlife had been harmed and that only 13 species had been restored. Could not restore the subspecies of killer whales and Pacific herring.

The explosion and flooding of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico at the Macondo field led to the fact that there was a leak of oil and gas in the amount of 4.9 million barrels. According to scientists, this accident was the largest in US history and claimed 11 lives of platform workers. The inhabitants of the ocean were also harmed. Until now, violations of the ecosystem of the bay are noted.

10 Love Canal Disaster (1978)

In Niagara Falls, New York, about a hundred houses and a local school were built on the site of an industrial and chemical waste dump. Over time, the chemicals seeped into the upper layers of the soil and water. People began to notice that some black swampy spots appeared near the houses. When they did the analysis, they found the content of eighty-two chemical compounds, eleven of which were carcinogenic substances. Among the diseases of the inhabitants of the Love Canal, such serious diseases as leukemia began to appear, and 98 families had children with serious pathologies.

9. Chemical pollution in Anniston, Alabama (1929-1971)

In Anniston, in the area where the agricultural and biotech giant Monsanto first produced cancer-causing substances, they were inexplicably released into Snow Creek. The population of Anniston suffered greatly. As a result of exposure, the percentage of diabetes and other pathologies has increased. Monsanto paid $700 million in damages and rescues in 2002.

During the military conflict in the Persian Gulf in Kuwait, Saddam Hussein set fire to 600 oil wells to create a poisonous smoke screen for as much as 10 months. It is believed that between 600 and 800 tons of oil burned daily. About five percent of the territory of Kuwait was covered with soot, livestock died from lung diseases, and the number of cancer cases increased in the country.

7. Zilin chemical plant explosion (November 13, 2005)

There were several powerful explosions at the Zilin Chemical Plant. A huge amount of benzene and nitrobenzene, which has a detrimental toxic effect, was released into the environment. The disaster resulted in the death of six people and the injury of seventy.

6 Pollution Times Beach, Missouri (December 1982)

The spraying of oil containing toxic dioxin led to the complete destruction of a small town in Missouri. The method was used as an alternative to irrigation to keep dust off the roads. The situation worsened when, as a result of flooding the city with the waters of the Meremek River, toxic oil spread along the entire coast. Residents were exposed to dioxin and reported immune and muscle problems.

For five days, smoke from coal burning and factory emissions covered London in a dense layer. The fact is that cold weather has come and the residents massively began to heat the stoves with coal to warm the houses. A combination of industrial and public air emissions resulted in thick fog and poor visibility, and 12,000 people died from inhaling toxic fumes.

4 The Poisoning Of Minamata Bay, Japan (1950s)

In 37 years of plastics production, the petrochemical company Chisso Corporation has dumped 27 tons of the metal mercury into the waters of Minamata Bay. Because the inhabitants used it to fish, unaware of the chemical spills, the mercury-poisoned fish caused serious health damage to babies born to mothers who ate fish from the Minamata, and killed more than 900 people in the region.

3. Bhopal Disaster (December 2, 1984)

The whole world knows about radiation contamination as a result of a nuclear reactor accident and a fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. It has been called the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history. About a million people died due to the effects of the nuclear holocaust, mainly from cancer and exposure to high levels of radiation.

After the 9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was left without power and lost the ability to cool nuclear reactors. This led to radioactive contamination of a large territory and water area. About two hundred thousand residents were evacuated due to fear of serious illnesses as a result of exposure. The disaster once again made scientists think about the dangers of atomic energy and the need to develop

November 14 An accident occurred at the Avisma plant in the city of Berezniki, Perm Territory, as a result of which three men died, 21 people were hospitalized. Initially, it was reported that there was a chlorine release at the plant. However, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, people died, and the investigation began to establish its composition. The cause of the accident at the enterprise was the work with the fan not working.

4th of July at the enterprise for the production of polymers "Devon" in the village of Levashovo, Vyborgsky district of St. Petersburg occurred. Three people were injured.

12 June in Moscow, at a cold storage facility, there was a volume of one liter. At the time of the chemical leak, 12 employees were at the cold store, all of them were evacuated. There were no casualties.

May 27 in Moscow, at a fruit and vegetable base located on Kavkazsky Boulevard, it occurred, used in the production of perfumes and aerosols, as well as in refrigeration units and for extinguishing fires at hazardous facilities. Four people were injured in the accident.

May 19 in Kurgan, thirty liters at the local pharmaceutical plant "Synthesis" in workshop No. 1, in the building for the production of synthetic antibiotics. The spill occurred on an area of ​​10 square meters. Three people were injured.

May 17 at the chemical plant "Korund", located in the city of Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region. Chlorine intoxication was received by one person who was sent to a hospital, seven who applied with an indisposition were treated on the spot.

20th of March in the village of Samarskoye, Azov district, Rostov region, in a private workshop for packaging and refining sunflower oil, an accident occurred. As a result of the incident, one of the women workers died at the scene, the second - in a medical facility.
Eight people after poisoning.

February 6 occurred at the Bolotnaya station in the Novosibirsk region. One quarter of the liquid leaked out of the tank with a capacity of 52 tons, part of the ammonia hydrate leaked along the route. The leaking tank car arrived as part of a freight train from the Khimzavodskaya station of the Kuibyshev railway and was heading to the Bratsk station of the East Siberian railway. The tanker was immediately uncoupled and moved to a dead end. The spill of ammonia hydrate at the railway station did not affect the schedule of passenger and freight trains.

2011

December 11th Ammonia leak occurred in one of the shops of the Beloretsk Metallurgical Plant. . The spill area was 15 square meters. Fifteen workers were evacuated from the scene, but there were no injuries among them.

Nov. 1 a tank truck carrying ammonia water overturned near the village of Krasnosvobodnoye, Tambov region. The tank truck was transporting a 26% ammonia solution, which is used in the manufacture of fertilizers and is practically safe. From 12 tons. Firefighters washed away the spilled solution with water, and rescuers sealed the neck of the tank.

On the night of September 1 at the Chelyabinsk Glavny station, smoke was detected in one of the cars. During the check, a wagon with bromine in a glass container was found, where several bottles were broken. The car was promptly taken out of the station to a specially designated place where a cordon was set up. On the same day, the afternoon was completely eliminated. According to the Investigative Committee (IC), as a result of the release of bromine vapor, 132 people were injured, of which 50 were hospitalized.

July 20 at a non-ferrous metal reception point in the Kirovsky district of Perm occurred. The incident occurred after the cylinders brought for delivery began to be opened at the metal collection point. 29 people were hospitalized.

June 10th Ammonia release occurred in Veliky Novgorod. OAO Khladokombinat happened. 14 people applied for medical help. There were no signs of ammonia poisoning. The cause of the incident was a mistake by the operator of Khladokombinat OJSC, who supplied ammonia to an unused dilapidated pipeline.

April 27 occurred at OAO "Khimprom" in Novocheboksarsk (Chuvashia). As a result, five employees of the enterprise received poisoning of varying severity. Voltage dropped on the power grids of the enterprise, which led to the shutdown of electrical installations and their stoppage in building 411 of the electrolysis shop, an accident occurred with the release of electrochlorine gas into the electrolysis hall and the production room of the building.
A few hours later, one chlorine accident at the plant was followed by another. Around 01.25 Moscow time on April 28, during the subsequent check of the equipment and the supply of heat load to a series of electrolyzers of the enterprise, one of them was depressurized, as a result of which there was a repeated local gas contamination with chlorine in the electrolysis hall.

2010

November 22 occurred at a cold storage facility in the north of Moscow. During the repair work on the territory of the refrigeration plant, located at the address: Leningradskoye shosse, house 69, a 10-mm pipe through which ammonia flows was depressurized. Automatic protection blocked the supply of ammonia. People were evacuated, there were no casualties. The cloud of dangerous did not leave the territory of the enterprise.

October 21 in Yekaterinburg, at gas distribution station No. 1 (located in the forested area of ​​the village of Kalinovka), an odorant chemical was released, which was carried by the wind towards Kalinovka and the city of Berezovsky. Experts found and blocked the leak, and also neutralized the odorant in the soil with a solution of manganese. There is no threat to people.

August 13 in the Sverdlovsk region in the chemical workshop of CJSC "Turinsky Pulp and Paper Plant" there was a group acute occupational chlorine poisoning due to a spill of sodium hypochlorite in violation of the technological process. Four victims were hospitalized.

At night from 14 to 15 February In the city of Krasnokamsk (Perm Territory), CJSC Promkhimperm overflowed the solvent, resulting in a leak of this substance. During this work, the hose broke, and two cubic meters of solvent spilled onto the site, which went down the slope through the sewer collector to the treatment facilities of LLC Yodobrom, and then to the Votkinsk reservoir. As a result, more than 50,000 people were left without water for several days, since the water supply in the city was turned off due to an accident.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

No matter how far scientific and technological progress strides, catastrophes have happened, are happening and, probably, will happen for a long time to come. Some of them could have been avoided, but most of the worst events in the world were inevitable because they happened at the behest of mother nature.

Worst plane crash ever

Collision of two Boeing 747s

Humanity does not know a more terrible plane crash than the one that occurred on March 27, 1977 on the island of Tenerife, belonging to the Canary group. On this day, two Boeing 747s collided at Los Rodeo Airport, one of which belonged to KLM, the other to Pan American. This terrible tragedy claimed 583 lives. The reasons that led to this disaster is a fatal and paradoxical combination of circumstances.

Los Rodeos airport this ill-fated Sunday was seriously overloaded. The dispatcher spoke with a strong Spanish accent, and radio communications suffered from serious interference. Because of this, the Boeing commander KLM misinterpreted the command to abort the flight, which became the fatal cause of the collision of two maneuvering aircraft.

Only a few passengers managed to escape through the holes formed in the Pan American aircraft. Another Boeing lost its wings and tail, causing it to fall 150 meters from the crash site, after which it was dragged for another 300 meters. Both flying cars caught fire.

There were 248 passengers on board the Boeing KLM, none of whom survived. The Pan American plane was the site of the death of 335 people, including the entire crew, as well as the famous model and actress Yves Meyer.

The worst of man-made disasters

On July 6, 1988, the worst disaster in the history of oil production occurred in the North Sea. It happened on the Piper Alpha oil platform, which was built in 1976. The number of victims was 167 people, the company suffered a loss of about three and a half billion dollars.

The most annoying thing is that the number of victims could be much less if it were not for ordinary human stupidity. There was a large gas leak, followed by an explosion. But instead of stopping the oil supply immediately after the start of the accident, the service personnel waited for the command from the management.

The countdown went on for minutes, and soon the entire platform of the Occidental Petroleum corporation was engulfed in fire, even the living quarters caught fire. Those who could have survived the blast were burned alive. Only those who managed to jump into the water survived.

Worst water accident ever

When the topic of tragedies on the water is touched upon, the movie Titanic involuntarily comes to mind. Moreover, such a disaster really happened. But this shipwreck is not the worst in the history of mankind.

Wilhelm Gustloff

The sinking of the German ship "Wilhelm Gustloff" is considered to be the biggest disaster that occurred on the water. The tragedy occurred on January 30, 1945. Its culprit was a submarine of the Soviet Union, which knocked out a ship that could accommodate almost 9,000 passengers.

This, at that time, the perfect product of shipbuilding, was made in 1938. It seemed unsinkable and contained 9 decks, restaurants, a winter garden, climate control, gyms, theaters, dance floors, swimming pools, a church, and even Hitler's rooms.

Its length was more than two hundred meters, it could swim half the planet without refueling. The ingenious creation could not sink without outside interference. And it happened in the person of the crew of the S-13 submarine, commanded by A. I. Marinesko. Three torpedoes were fired at the legendary ship. In a matter of minutes, he was in the abyss of the waters of the Baltic Sea. All crew members were killed, including about 8,000 representatives of the German military elite who were evacuated from Danzig.

The crash of the Wilhelm Gustloff (video)

The greatest environmental tragedy

Shrunken Aral Sea

Among all environmental disasters, the leading place is occupied by the drying up of the Aral Sea. At its best, it was the fourth largest among all the lakes in the world.

The disaster occurred due to the unreasonable use of water, which was used to water gardens and fields. The shrinkage was due to the ill-considered political ambitions and actions of the leaders of those times.

Gradually, the coast line moved far inland, which led to the extinction of most species of flora and fauna. In addition, droughts began to increase, the climate changed significantly, navigation became impossible, and more than sixty people were left without work.

Where did the Aral Sea disappear: strange symbols on the dried bottom (VIDEO)

Nuclear disaster

What could be worse than a nuclear catastrophe? The lifeless kilometers of the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl region are the embodiment of these fears. The accident occurred in 1986, when one of the power units of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded early in April morning.

Chernobyl 1986

This tragedy claimed several hundred lives of tow trucks, thousands died over the next ten years. And how many people were forced to leave their homes, only God knows ...

Children of these people are still born with developmental anomalies. The atmosphere, land and water around the nuclear power plant are contaminated with radioactive substances.

The level of radiation in this region is still thousands of times higher than normal. No one knows how long it will take for people to settle in these places. The scale of this disaster is still not fully known.

Chernobyl accident 1986: Chernobyl, Pripyat - liquidation (VIDEO)

Disaster over the Black Sea: Tu-154 of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation crashed

The crash of the Tu-154 of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Not so long ago, there was a crash of a Tu-154 aircraft of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, heading to Syria. It claimed the lives of 64 talented artists of the Alexandrov Ensemble, nine well-known leading TV channels, the head of a charitable organization - the famous Doctor Liza, eight military men, two civil servants, and all crew members. In total, 92 people died in this terrible plane crash.

On this tragic morning in December 2016, the plane refueled at Adler, but crashed unexpectedly shortly after takeoff. The investigation was conducted for a long time, because it was necessary to know what was the cause of the Tu-154 crash.

The commission investigating the causes of the accident, among the circumstances that led to the disaster, called the overload of the aircraft, crew fatigue and the low professional level of training and organization of the flight.

The results of the investigation of the Tu-154 crash of the Ministry of Defense of Russia (VIDEO)

Submarine "Kursk"

Submarine "Kursk"

The crash of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk, which killed 118 people on board, occurred in 2000 in the Barents Sea. This is the second largest accident in the history of the Russian submarine fleet after the B-37 disaster.

On August 12, as planned, preparations began for mock attacks. The last recorded actions on the boat were recorded at 11.15.

A few hours before the tragedy, the crew commander was informed about the cotton, which he did not pay attention to. Then the boat shook violently, which was associated with the inclusion of the antenna of the radar station. After that, the captain of the boat did not get in touch anymore. At 23.00 the situation on the submarine was declared as emergency, which was reported to the leadership of the fleet and the country. On the morning of the next day, as a result of search work, the Kursk was found at the bottom of the sea at a depth of 108 m.

The official version of the cause of the tragedy is the explosion of a training torpedo, which occurred as a result of a fuel leak.

Submarine Kursk: what really happened? (VIDEO)

The crash of the ship "Admiral Nakhimov"

The crash of the passenger ship "Admiral Nakhimov" occurred in August 1981 near Novorossiysk. There were 1234 people on board the ship, 423 of whom lost their lives on that ill-fated day. It is known that Vladimir Vinokur and Lev Leshchenko were late for this flight.

At 23:12, the ship collided with the dry cargo ship Pyotr Vasev, as a result of which the electric generator was flooded and the light went out on the Nakhimov. The ship became uncontrollable and continued to move forward by inertia. As a result of the collision, a hole of up to eighty square meters was formed in the starboard side. Panic began among the passengers, many climbed onto the port side and thus went down to the water.

Almost a thousand people ended up in the water, who, moreover, got dirty with fuel oil and paint. Eight minutes after the collision, the ship sank.

Steamboat Admiral Nakhimov: the wreck of the ship - Russian Titanic (VIDEO)

Oil platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico

The worst environmental disasters in the world in 2010 were supplemented by another one that happened in the Gulf of Mexico, eighty kilometers from Louisiana. This is one of the most dangerous man-made accidents for the environment. It happened on April 20 at the Deepwater Horizon oil platform.

As a result of pipe rupture, about five million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.

A 75,000 sq. km, which is 5% of its total area. The disaster took the lives of 11 people, 17 were injured.

Catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico (VIDEO)

The crash of the Concordia

On January 14, 2012, the list of the most terrible incidents in the world was replenished with one more. Near the Italian Tuscany, the cruise ship Costa Concordia ran into a rock ledge, as a result of which a seventy-meter hole was formed in it. At this time, most of the passengers were in the restaurant.

The right side of the liner began to sink into the water, then it was thrown onto the shallows 1 km from the crash site. There were more than 4,000 people on the ship, who were evacuated all night, but not everyone was saved: 32 people still died and a hundred were injured.

Costa Concordia - the crash through the eyes of eyewitnesses (VIDEO)

Krakatoa eruption in 1883

Natural disasters show how insignificant and helpless we are before the phenomena of nature. But all the most terrible disasters in the world are nothing compared to the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano, which occurred in 1883.

On May 20, a large smoke column could be seen over the Krakatoa volcano. At that moment, even at a distance of 160 kilometers from him, the windows of houses trembled. All nearby islands were covered with a thick layer of dust and pumice.

The eruptions continued until 27 August. The last explosion was the climax, as a result of which sound waves passed, several times rounded the entire planet. On the ships sailing in the Sunda Strait at that moment, the compasses stopped showing correctly.

These explosions submerged the entire northern part of the island. The seabed has been uplifted by the eruptions. A lot of ash from the volcano remained in the atmosphere for another two to three years.

The tsunami, whose height was thirty meters, washed away about three hundred settlements, claimed the lives of 36,000 people.

The most powerful eruption of Krakatau Volcano (VIDEO)

Earthquake in Spitak in 1988

On December 7, 1988, the list of "The best disasters in the world" was replenished with another one that occurred in the Armenian Spitak. On this tragic day, tremors literally wiped out this city from the face of the earth in just half a minute, destroyed Leninakan, Stepanavan and Kirovakan beyond recognition. In total, twenty-one cities and three hundred and fifty villages were affected.

In Spitak itself, the earthquake had a force of ten, Leninakan was hit by a force of nine, and Kirovakan by an force of eight, and almost the rest of Armenia was hit by a force of six. Seismologists have calculated that during this earthquake energy was released, corresponding to the strength of ten exploding atomic bombs. The wave that this tragedy caused was recorded by scientific laboratories almost all over the world.

This natural disaster took away 25,000 lives, 140,000 health, and 514,000 roofs over their heads. Forty percent of the industry of the republic has failed, schools, hospitals, theaters, museums, cultural centers, roads and railways have been destroyed.

The military, doctors, public figures of the whole country and abroad, both near and far, were called to help. Humanitarian aid was actively collected all over the world. Tents, field kitchens and first-aid posts were deployed throughout the area affected by the tragedy.

The saddest and most instructive thing in this situation is that the scale and victims of this terrible disaster could be many times less if the seismic activity of this region were taken into account and all buildings were built taking into account these features. The unpreparedness of rescue services also contributed.

Tragic days: earthquake in Spitak (VIDEO)

2004 tsunami Indian Ocean - Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka

In December 2004, a devastating tsunami caused by an underwater earthquake hit the coasts of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and other countries. Huge waves devastated the area and brought death to 200,000 people. The most annoying thing is that most of the dead are children, since in this region there is a high proportion of children per population, in addition, children are physically weaker and less able to resist water than an adult.

Aceh in Indonesia suffered the most losses. Almost all the buildings there were destroyed, 168,000 people died.

Geographically, this earthquake was simply huge. Moved up to 1200 kilometers of rock. The shift occurred in two phases with an interval of two to three minutes.

The number of victims turned out to be so high because there was no general warning system along the entire coast of the Indian Ocean.

There is nothing worse than disasters and tragedies that deprive people of life, shelter, health, destroy industry and everything that a person has worked for many years. But it often turns out that the number of victims and destruction in such situations could be much less if everyone were conscientious about their professional duties, in some cases it was necessary to foresee an evacuation plan and a warning system for local residents. Let's hope that in the future humanity will find a way to avoid such terrible tragedies or reduce the damage from them.

Tsunami in Indonesia 2004 (VIDEO)

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Transvaal Park, Lame Horse, Winter Cherry - hundreds of people become victims of the negligence of club and shopping center owners, as well as supervisory authorities who do not monitor the implementation of safety regulations and the proper operation of buildings. "Snob" recalls the largest man-made disasters in Russia that have occurred over the past 15 years, whether the perpetrators were found and whether they were punished

Rescue teams clear the rubble of the collapsed dome in the Transvaal Park water park Photo: Valery Blinov / RIA Novosti

Transvaal-Park, Moscow

Dead: 28 people, including 8 children.

What happened: On the day of the tragedy, about 1300 people were in the building of the water park in Yasenevo, the largest in Eastern Europe. The reinforced concrete dome collapsed right on the water entertainment area. 193 people, including 51 children, were seriously injured, many were left disabled.

Who is guilty: The cause of the disaster was a design error. The investigation brought charges against Anatoly Voronin, head of the Moscow State Non-Departmental Expertise, who approved the project, and Nodar Kancheli, chief architect of the park. Kancheli also designed the Okhotny Ryad underground complex on Manezhnaya Square, the dome of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the roof of Basmanny Market, which collapsed in 2006. After two years of proceedings, Kancheli was amnestied in honor of the 100th anniversary of the State Duma, and Voronin was released due to the lack of corpus delicti. In 2013, the Moreon multifunctional family recreation complex was opened on the site of the water park.

Basmanny Market, Moscow

Dead: 68 people.

What happened: The market building collapsed in the early morning, the collapse area was 13 thousand square meters.

Who is guilty: Investigators determined that the disaster was due to systematic mismanagement of the building. For example, trading floors were installed on mezzanines designed for stall trade, which, together with the goods placed in them, overloaded the structure. The director of the Basmanny market, Mark Mishiev, was charged with violation of operation. A few days later he was released from custody, and throughout the investigation, which lasted until 2008, he was at large. The case was then abruptly dropped, then reopened two weeks later and completed by 2009. In 2010, it became known that the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Yuri Chaika refused to approve the indictment against Mishiev and sent the case back for further investigation.

Lame Horse Club, Perm

Dead: 156 people.

What happened: During the celebration of the eighth anniversary of the club, designed for 50 people, a fire broke out in the building. At the time of the tragedy, there were 300 people in the room, including staff. When the fireworks began, the scenery caught fire from the cold fire. The lights went out, no emergency lighting was provided, only one leaf was open at the evacuation door, panic and stampede began. People died mainly due to carbon monoxide poisoning and combustion products.

Who is guilty: Immediately after the tragedy, the entire government of the Perm Territory resigned, and the head of the Perm administration, Arkady Katz, resigned from his post. There were eight people in the dock: co-founders, art director and other employees of the club, as well as a supplier of pyrotechnics. The owner of Lame Horse Anatoly Zak tried to escape, but was detained and eventually sentenced to 9 years and 10 months in prison. The remaining defendants received from 4 to 6 years in prison.

Ship "Bulgaria", Tatarstan

Dead: 122 people, including 28 children.

What happened: The ship sailed along the Volga along the Kazan-Bolgar-Kazan route and, as the investigators later found out, could not help but sink: the crew was inexperienced and regularly violated the rules of technical operation, and the ship had numerous damages - from an idle diesel generator to holes in the hull. In addition, on the day of the disaster, a storm arose with a wind speed of 20 meters per second. Investigators found that the main cause of the crash was the portholes not secured by the crew: water flooded into them when a roll arose due to a strong gust of wind and the ship was turning. The ship rolled over on its side and went under the water in a matter of minutes. Only 79 people survived the crash.

Who is guilty: The investigation continued for two years. Among the defendants are the head of the sub-tenant and exploiter of the Bulgaria, an expert of the Russian River Register who licensed the ship, the head and chief state inspector of the Kazan department of Rostransnadzor, as well as the senior assistant to the captain of the ship Bulgaria, who survived the disaster. Five defendants received terms from 5 to 11 years.

Shopping center "Admiral", Kazan

Dead: 18 people during the fire and 1 person, lieutenant colonel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, during the collapse of the building.

What happened: The fire was caused by roofing work on the roof of an extension to the mall. Since materials of low fire resistance were used in the construction of the shopping center, the building structures quickly began to collapse, blocking the evacuation exits. The flame captured an area of ​​4,000 square meters.

Who is guilty: According to investigators, since 2013, the shopping center building has been illegally operated without a permit and with gross violations of fire regulations. 12 people were brought to criminal responsibility: the owner of the shopping center, the director of the tenant organization, the employees responsible for fire safety, as well as the workers whose actions led to the fire of the roof. Some of the cases went to trial in 2017.

Prepared by Anna Karpova

On March 11, 2011, as a result of the strongest earthquake in the history of Japan and the tsunami that followed it, a major radiation accident of the maximum, level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, occurred at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. Financial damage, including clean-up costs, decontamination costs and compensation, is estimated at $100 billion. Since the work to eliminate the consequences will take years, the amount will increase.

An industrial disaster is a major accident at a man-made facility, resulting in mass loss of life and even an environmental disaster.

One of the features of man-made disasters is their randomness (this is how they differ from terrorist attacks). Usually man-made disasters are opposed to natural disasters. However, like natural disasters, man-made disasters can cause panic, transport collapse, and also lead to the rise or loss of the authority of the authorities.

Every year, dozens of man-made disasters of various scales occur in the world. In this issue you will find a list of the largest catastrophes that have occurred since the beginning of the century.

year 2000

Petrobrice is the Brazilian state oil company. The company headquarters is located in Rio de Janeiro. In July 2000, in Brazil, an oil platform disaster spilled more than a million gallons of oil (about 3,180 tons) into the Iguazu River. For comparison: in the summer of 2013, 50 tons of crude oil spilled near a resort island in Thailand.

The resulting stain moved downstream, threatening to poison the drinking water for several cities at once. The liquidators of the accident built several protective barriers, but they managed to stop the oil only at the fifth. One part of the oil was collected from the surface of the water, the other went through specially constructed diversion channels.

Petrobrice paid a $56 million fine to the state budget and $30 million to the state budget.

year 2001

On September 21, 2001, in the French city of Toulouse, an explosion occurred at the AZF chemical plant, the consequences of which are considered one of the largest man-made disasters. Exploded 300 tons of ammonium nitrate (salt of nitric acid), which were in the warehouse of finished products. According to the official version, the management of the plant is to blame, which did not ensure the safe storage of an explosive substance.

The consequences of the disaster were gigantic: 30 people died, the total number of wounded was more than 3,000, thousands of houses and buildings were destroyed or damaged, including almost 80 schools, 2 universities, 185 kindergartens, 40,000 people were left without a roof over their heads, more than 130 enterprises have actually ceased their activities. The total amount of damage is 3 billion euros.

2002

On November 13, 2002, off the coast of Spain, the oil tanker Prestige fell into a severe storm, in the holds of which there were more than 77,000 tons of fuel oil. As a result of the storm, a crack about 50 meters long formed in the ship's hull. On November 19, the tanker broke in half and sank. As a result of the disaster, 63,000 tons of fuel oil fell into the sea.

Cleaning the sea and coasts from fuel oil cost $ 12 billion, the full damage to the ecosystem cannot be estimated.

2004

On August 26, 2004, a fuel truck carrying 32,000 liters of fuel fell off a 100-meter-high Wiehltal bridge near Cologne in western Germany. After the fall, the tanker exploded. The culprit of the accident was a sports car that skidded on a slippery road, which caused the fuel tanker to skid.

This accident is considered one of the most costly man-made disasters in history - temporary repairs to the bridge cost $40 million, and full reconstruction - $318 million.

2007

On March 19, 2007, a methane explosion at the Ulyanovsk mine in the Kemerovo region killed 110 people. After the first explosion, four more followed in 5-7 seconds, which caused extensive collapses in the workings in several places at once. The chief engineer and almost all the management of the mine were killed. This accident is the largest in Russian coal mining over the past 75 years.

year 2009

On August 17, 2009, a man-made disaster occurred on, located on the Yenisei River. This happened during the repair of one of the HPP's hydroelectric units. As a result of the accident, the 3rd and 4th water conduits were destroyed, the wall was destroyed and the engine room was flooded. 9 out of 10 hydraulic turbines were completely out of order, the hydroelectric power station was stopped.

Due to the accident, the power supply to the Siberian regions was disrupted, including the limited supply of electricity in Tomsk, and several Siberian aluminum smelters were cut off. As a result of the disaster, 75 people died and 13 were injured.

The damage from the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP exceeded 7.3 billion rubles, including environmental damage.

2010

October 4, 2010 occurred in western Hungary. At an aluminum plant, an explosion destroyed the dam of a reservoir of toxic waste - the so-called red mud. About 1.1 million cubic meters of caustic substance flooded the cities of Kolontar and Decever, 160 kilometers west of Budapest, with a 3-meter stream.

The oil leak was stopped only on August 4, 2010. About 5 million barrels of crude oil spilled into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The platform on which the accident occurred belonged to a Swiss company, and at the time of the man-made disaster, the platform was operated by British Petroleum.

2011

On March 11, 2011, in the northeast of Japan, at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, after a strong earthquake, the largest accident in the last 25 years after the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred. Following aftershocks of magnitude 9.0, a huge tsunami wave came to the coast, which damaged four of the six reactors of the nuclear power plant and disabled the cooling system, which led to a series of hydrogen explosions, melting the core.

The total emissions of iodine-131 and caesium-137 after the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant amounted to 900,000 terabecquerels, which does not exceed 20% of the emissions after the Chernobyl accident in 1986, which then amounted to 5.2 million terabecquerels.

Experts estimated the total damage from the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant at $74 billion. The complete elimination of the accident, including the dismantling of the reactors, will take about 40 years.

On July 11, 2011, an explosion occurred at a naval base near Limassol in Cyprus, which claimed 13 lives and brought the island nation to the brink of economic crisis, destroying the island's largest power plant.

Investigators accused the President of the Republic, Dimitris Christofias, of negligently handling the problem of storing ammunition confiscated in 2009 from the Monchegorsk ship on suspicion of arms smuggling to Iran. In fact, the ammunition was stored right on the ground on the territory of the naval base and detonated due to the high temperature.

year 2012

On February 28, 2012, an explosion occurred at a chemical plant in the Chinese province of Hebei, killing 25 people. The explosion took place in the workshop for the production of nitroguanidine (it is used as rocket fuel) at the chemical plant of the Hebei Keer company in the city of Shijiazhuang.

Almost 100 buildings in the district were destroyed, from 5 to 15 people died, about 160 people were injured, and the town itself became like a war zone or the set of another Terminator movie.

2015

On August 12, 2015, as a result of a safety violation during the storage of explosives in a Chinese port, two explosions of huge force rocked, which led to a large number of victims, hundreds of houses destroyed and thousands of cars destroyed.