Trains are huge, so when they derail or collide with each other, their unimaginable power becomes painfully obvious. During a train accident, the train lives its own life - it becomes uncontrollable, and it is no longer possible to stop it. Passengers can do nothing to prevent injury, and often dangle from wall to wall in the carriages, suffering broken limbs and internal injuries.

The worst disasters in our history took a huge toll of human life, but they gave us important information on how we can improve rail infrastructure as well as keep passengers safe.

10. Al Ayyat railway accident - Egypt, 2002 (383 victims)

At 2 am on February 20, 2002, a gas cylinder exploded in the fifth car of an Egyptian train. The all-consuming fire quickly spread to the other cars as the train continued to race along the tracks. This went on for two hours until the driver finally stopped. As a result, seven carriages were completely burned down and almost 400 people died. However, the number of victims of this disaster was repeatedly disputed, since a complete list of passengers was missing. Also, due to the intensity of the flames, many of the corpses burned to a state of ash, and their identification was impossible. Moreover, the train was overloaded and many passengers are believed to have died by jumping from the burning train. Although official figures say 383 people died, many believe that an estimate of 1,000 lives is more accurate.

9. Awash train accident - Ethiopia, 1985 (428 dead)


The worst train accident in African history occurred on January 14, 1985, near the city of Awash. The city is located on the Awash River. An express train derailed on its way to this town due to the fact that the driver did not slow down while passing over a curved bridge, which caused several cars to fall into a cliff. Of the 1,000 passengers on the train, 428 died, and almost all the other passengers were badly injured. After a terrible accident, the driver was arrested and charged with not slowing down when entering a turn.

8. Train accident Torre del Bierzo (Torre del Bierzo) - Spain, 1944 (200-500+ victims)


On January 3, 1944, near the village of Torre del Bierzo in Spain, an out of control mail train flew into tunnel number 20. A shunting locomotive with three cars was in front of it, trying to avoid a collision. These two cars were still in the tunnel when the mail train crashed into them. From the other side, a coal carrier with 27 loaded wagons was approaching. The driver of the shunting locomotive tried to warn the coal carrier, but it nevertheless crashed into the locomotive. The flame of the catastrophe burned for two days. Since many people were traveling without tickets and the fire completely consumed the human remains, the exact number of passengers was difficult to estimate, but survivors claimed that the train was overcrowded as many of them were heading to the Christmas market.

7. Balvano train accident - Italy, 1944 (521-600+ victims)


During World War II, severe shortages led to the development of black market trade. In 1944, adventurers and enterprising entrepreneurs surreptitiously traveled on freight trains to reach supplier farms. At the same time, there was a severe shortage of high-quality coal. Burning low-grade substitutes gave off a large amount of odorless carbon monoxide. On March 2, 1944, a heavily overloaded locomotive number 8017 stalled inside a steep tunnel. The attendants and passengers, including several hundred "hares", died from suffocation. The only survivors were those who traveled in the few rear cars left out in the open when the train stalled.

6. Railway accident near Ufa - Russia, 1989 (575+ victims)


The largest railway accident in the history of the Soviet Union occurred on June 4, 1989. A gap in the pipeline pipe allowed a large volume of gas to accumulate in the lowland between the cities of Ufa and Asha. When the staff noticed a drop in pressure, they simply increased the pressure to normal levels instead of looking for a possible leak. Around 1:15 a.m., two trains carrying more than 1,200 passengers, many of whom were children, passed each other. The sparks caused by their passage ignited a highly flammable cloud, resulting in an explosion that was visible from more than 100 kilometers away. The escaping flames scorched trees within a radius of 3.86 kilometers and destroyed both trains.

5. Train accident in Guadalajara (Guadalajara) - Mexico, 1915 (600+ victims)


In 1915, the Mexican Revolution was in full swing. President Venustiano Carranza ordered the families of his army to be transported to Guadalajara, which he had recently conquered. On January 22, 1915, a specially prepared train with twenty heavily overloaded cars left Colima. It is said that the carriages were so crowded with people that passengers even clung to the carriages from below and rode on the roofs. During a steep descent, the driver lost control of the train. The train continued to pick up speed, descending the rails, and eventually flew into a deep ravine. Less than a third of the people from the official passenger list survived the catastrophe.

4. Railway accident in Bihar (Bihar) - India, 1981 (500-800 victims)


On June 6, 1981, during the monsoon season in India, a nine-car train carrying about a thousand passengers plunged into the Baghmati River. The weather conditions that day were especially rainy and windy, and the water level in the river was higher than usual. Just as the train was approaching a bridge crossing a river, a cow crossed the tracks. In an attempt to avoid a collision, the engineer braked too hard, causing the cars to skid on the wet railroad tracks and derailed into the river. Help arrived only a few hours later, and most of the passengers either drowned or were already swept away by the water by the time rescuers got to work. More than 300 bodies were never found.

3. Railway accident in Churea (Ciurea) - Romania, 1917 (600-1000 dead)


During World War I, a passenger train's brakes failed while descending a steep slope near Churya station. The 26-car train was carrying refugees and wounded soldiers trying to escape the advancing German forces. The engineer tried his best to slow the train down by shifting into reverse gear and using the sand thrower for better grip, but the train continued to pick up speed. To avoid a collision with the second train at the end of the descent, the runaway train was redirected to the passing track. Due to the high speed, the train nevertheless, unfortunately, left the tracks and caught fire. As a result, hundreds of people died.

2. Crash in Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne (Saint Michel-de-Maurienne), France, 1917 (800-1000 victims)


On December 12, 1917, about 1,000 French soldiers were returning home for the winter holidays. Due to the general shortage of both locomotives and insufficient provision of equipment, people were transported by two trains connected together, but under the control of one locomotive. Of the 19 cars on the train, only the first three had automatic air brakes, the rest had either hand brakes or none at all. Descending into a valley in the French part of the Alps, the driver ordered his assistants to slow down, but the train continued to pick up speed. The brakes overheated and flames began to flare up under the cars. After 6 kilometers, the first car went off the tracks, and the rest of the cars crashed into it, catching fire in a few minutes. Due to the strength of the flames, only 425 bodies out of approximately 1,000 victims were identified.

1. Train accident and tsunami in Sri Lanka, 2004 (1700+ victims)


On December 26, 2004, an earthquake in the ocean north of Sumatra triggered a giant tsunami that killed 280,000 people. On that terrible day, more than 1,500 passengers were traveling in the Queen of the Sea. The train was 170 meters from the shore when the first wave hit. The water immediately stopped the train. Local residents and passengers, thinking that the train would be a rescue from the water, climbed onto its roof or hid behind it. The second wave was much more powerful: it demolished the train from the railway tracks and dragged the wagons into the jungle. Those who were not crushed by the train drowned quickly as they were trapped in the carriages. Only a few passengers survived this tragedy.

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 Lisa, 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 is out of order, schools, hospitals, theaters, museums, houses of culture, roads and railways are 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 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 was 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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Environmental disasters have their own specifics - not a single person may die during them, but very significant damage to the environment will be inflicted. In our time, the culprit of environmental disasters is mainly a person. The growth of industrial and agricultural production brings not only material benefits, but also slowly kills our habitat. Therefore, the biggest environmental disasters in the world are imprinted in human memory for a long time.

1. Leakage of oil products from the tanker "Prestige"

The Bahamian-flagged single-hull tanker Prestige was built by the Japanese shipyard Hitachi to carry crude oil and launched in 1976. In November 2002, while passing through the Bay of Biscay, the tanker got into a strong storm off the coast of Galicia, as a result of which it received a 35 m long crack, from which about a thousand tons of fuel oil began to flow out per day.
The Spanish coast guards refused to allow the dirty ship to enter the nearest port, so they tried to tow it to Portugal, but a similar refusal was received there. In the end, the restless tanker was towed to the Atlantic. On November 19, it sank completely, splitting into two parts, which sank to the bottom to a depth of about 3,700 m. Since it was impossible to fix the breakdown and pump out oil products, more than 70,000 cubic meters of oil got into the ocean. On the surface along the coastline, a spot more than a thousand kilometers long was formed, which caused enormous damage to the local fauna and flora.
For Europe, it was the most catastrophic oil spill in history. The damage from it was estimated at 4 billion euros, 300,000 volunteers worked to eliminate its consequences.

2. The collapse of the tanker "Exxon Valdez"

On March 23, 1989, the Exxon Valdez tanker, fully loaded with oil, sailed from the terminal in the Alaskan port of Valdez, bound for the Californian port of Long Beach. Having taken the ship out of Valdez, the pilot handed over control of the tanker to Captain Joseph Jeffrey, who was already “drunk” by that time. There were icebergs in the sea, so the captain was forced to deviate from the course, notifying the coast guard about this. Having received permission from the latter, he changed course, and at 23 o'clock left the wheelhouse, leaving the control of the ship to the third mate and the sailor, who had already defended their watches before and needed a 6-hour rest. In fact, the tanker was controlled by an autopilot guided by a navigation system.
Before leaving, the captain instructed the assistant that two minutes after passing the traverse of the island, you need to change course. The assistant conveyed this order to the sailor, but either he himself was late, or his execution was late, but at half past midnight on March 24, the tanker crashed into Blythe Reef. As a result of the disaster, 40,000 cubic meters of oil spilled into the ocean, and environmentalists believe that much more. 2,400 km of coastline were contaminated, making this accident one of the most significant environmental disasters in the world.

Natural hazards are extreme climatic or meteorological phenomena that occur naturally in a particular area.

3. Chernobyl disaster

All people born in the USSR are notorious for the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Its consequences are still active today, and will remind of themselves for many years to come. On April 26, 1986, an explosion occurred at the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, completely destroying the reactor, and tons of radioactive materials were released into the environment. At the time of the tragedy itself, 31 people died, but this is only the tip of the iceberg - it is simply impossible to calculate the number of victims and victims of this accident.
About 200 people who were directly involved in its liquidation are officially considered dead from the accident, all of them were killed by radiation sickness. The nature of all Eastern Europe suffered enormous damage. Dozens of tons of radioactive uranium, plutonium, strontium and cesium were sprayed into the atmosphere and began to slowly settle to the ground, carried by the wind. The desire of the authorities not to give wide publicity to what happened, so that panic would not start among the population, made its share in the tragedy of the unfolding events around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Therefore, many thousands of residents of cities and villages who did not fall into the alienated 30-kilometer zone, carelessly remained in their places.
In subsequent years, there was a surge of cancer among them, mothers gave birth to thousands of freaks, and this is still observed. In total, due to the spread of radioactive contamination of the area, the authorities had to evacuate over 115,000 people who lived inside the 30-kilometer zone around the nuclear power plant. More than 600,000 people took part in the liquidation of this accident and its protracted consequences, and colossal funds were spent. The territory immediately adjacent to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is still a restricted area, since it is unsuitable for habitation.

Throughout the history of mankind, the strongest earthquakes have repeatedly caused enormous damage to people and caused a huge number of casualties among the population ...

4. Accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant

But the biggest environmental disaster in human memory happened on March 11, 2011. It all started with a strong earthquake and a powerful tsunami, they put out of action the backup diesel generators and the power supply system of the nuclear power plant. This led to dysfunction of the reactor cooling system, core meltdown in three power units of the station. During the accident, hydrogen was released, which exploded, destroying the outer shell of the reactor, but the reactor itself survived.
Due to the leakage of radioactive substances, the level of radiation quickly began to grow, because the depressurization of the shells of the fuel elements caused the leakage of radioactive cesium. Water samples were taken 30 kilometers from the station in the ocean on March 23, which showed an excess of the norms for iodine-131 and cesium-137, but the radioactivity of the water kept increasing and by March 31 exceeded the normal level by almost 4400 times, because even after the accident the water contaminated with radiation continued to seep into the ocean. It is clear that after some time, animals with outlandish genetic and physiological changes began to come across in local waters.
The spread of radiation contributed to the fish themselves, and other marine animals. Many thousands of local residents had to be resettled from the radiation-contaminated area. A year later, on the coast near the nuclear power plant, radiation exceeded the norm by 100 times, so decontamination work will be carried out here for a long time.

5. Bhopal disaster

The catastrophe in Indian Bhopal turned out to be truly terrible, not only because it caused great damage to the nature of the state, but also because it claimed the lives of 18,000 inhabitants. A subsidiary of the Union Carbide Corporation was building a chemical plant in Bhopal that was originally designed to produce agricultural pesticides.
But in order for the plant to become competitive, it was decided to change the production technology towards a more dangerous and complex one, which would not require more expensive imported raw materials. But a series of crop failures led to the fact that the demand for the plant's products decreased, so the owners decided to sell it in the summer of 1984. The financing of the operating enterprise was curtailed, the equipment gradually wore out and ceased to meet safety standards. In the end, liquid methyl isocyanate overheated in one of the reactors, there was a sharp release of its vapors, which ruptured the emergency valve. In a matter of seconds, 42 tons of poisonous vapors entered the atmosphere, which formed a deadly cloud with a diameter of 4 kilometers over the plant and the surrounding area.
Residential areas and the railway station fell into the affected area. The authorities did not have time to inform the population about the danger in time, and there was a critical shortage of medical staff, so on the very first day, 5,000 people died after inhaling poisonous gas. But even for a number of years after that, poisoned people continued to die, and the total number of victims of that accident is estimated at 30,000 people.

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6Sandoz Chemical Disaster

One of the worst environmental disasters that caused incredible damage to nature occurred on November 1, 1986 in prosperous Switzerland. The plant of the chemical and pharmaceutical giant Sandoz, built on the banks of the Rhine near Basel, produced a variety of chemicals used in agriculture. When a severe fire broke out at the plant, about 30 tons of pesticides and mercury compounds got into the Rhine. The water in the Rhine has turned an ominous red.
The authorities forbade the inhabitants who lived on its banks to leave their homes. Downstream, in some German cities, the centralized water supply had to be cut off, and drinking water was brought to residents in cisterns. Almost all fish and other living creatures died in the river, some species were irretrievably lost. Later, a program until 2020 was adopted, the goal of which was to make the waters of the Rhine suitable for bathing.

7. Disappearance of the Aral Sea

Back in the middle of the last century, the Aral was the fourth largest lake in the world. But the active withdrawal of water from the Syr Darya and Amu Darya for irrigation of cotton and other crops led to the fact that the Aral Sea began to quickly become shallow, divided into 2 parts, one of which has already completely dried up, and the second will follow its example in the coming years.
Scientists have calculated that from 1960 to 2007 the Aral Sea lost 1,000 cubic kilometers of water, which led to its reduction by more than 10 times. Previously, 178 species of vertebrates lived in the Aral Sea, and now there are only 38 of them.
For decades, agricultural waste was dumped into the Aral and settled at the bottom. Now they have turned into poisonous sand, which the wind carries fifty kilometers around, polluting the surroundings and destroying vegetation. The island of Vozrozhdenie has long since become part of the mainland, and once upon a time there was a testing ground for bacteriological weapons on it. There are burials with such deadly diseases as typhus, plague, smallpox, anthrax. Some pathogens are still alive, so they can spread to habitable zones thanks to rodents.

Occasionally, tsunami waves occur in the ocean. They are very insidious - they are completely invisible in the open ocean, but as soon as they approach the coastal shelf, they ...

8 Flixboro Chemical Plant Accident

In the British city of Flixborough, there was a Nipro plant that produced ammonium nitrate, and 4000 tons of caprolactam, 3000 tons of cyclohexanone, 2500 tons of phenol, 2000 tons of cyclohexane and many other chemicals were stored on its territory. But the various process tanks and spherical tanks were underfilled, which increased the danger of an explosion. In addition, various flammable materials were kept under high pressure and high temperature in the plant's reactors.
The administration sought to increase the productivity of the plant, but this reduced the effectiveness of fire extinguishing equipment. The company's engineers were often forced to turn a blind eye to deviations from the technological regulations, to neglect safety standards - a familiar picture. Finally, on June 1, 1974, the plant was shaken by a powerful explosion. Instantly, the production facilities were engulfed in flames, and the shock wave from the explosion swept through the surrounding settlements, shattering windows, tearing off roofs from houses and crippling people. Then 55 people died. The power of the explosion was estimated at 45 tons of TNT. But worst of all, the explosion was accompanied by the emergence of a large cloud of toxic fumes, because of which the authorities had to urgently evacuate the inhabitants of some neighboring settlements.
The damage from this man-made disaster was estimated at 36 million pounds - it was the most expensive emergency for British industry.

9 Piper Alpha Oil Rig Fire

In July 1988, a major disaster occurred on the Piper Alpha platform, which was used for oil and gas production. Its consequences were exacerbated by the indecisive and ill-considered actions of the personnel, due to which 167 out of 226 people working on the platform died. For some time after the accident, oil products continued to flow through the pipes, so the fire did not die out, but flared up even more. This catastrophe ended not only with human casualties, but also with great damage to the environment.

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10. The explosion of an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico

On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deep Water Horizon oil platform, owned by British Petroleum and located in the Gulf of Mexico, due to which huge amounts of oil were thrown into the sea from an uncontrolled well for a long time. The platform itself plunged into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Experts were only able to roughly estimate the volume of spilled oil, but one thing is clear - this catastrophe has become one of the most terrible for the biosphere, not only the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, but also the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Oil poured into the water for 152 days, 75,000 sq. km of the waters of the bay were covered with a thick oil film. All the states whose coast goes to the Gulf of Mexico (Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi) suffered from pollution, but Alabama got the most.
About 400 species of rare animals were endangered, and thousands of seabirds and amphibians died on the oil-filled shores. The Office of Specially Protected Resources reported that there was an outbreak of mortality among cetaceans in the bay following the oil spill.

10Fuel Truck Falls Off 100 Meter Bridge In Germany ($358 Million)

On August 26, 2004, on a bridge in Germany, a fuel truck fell off a 100-meter-high bridge and exploded. According to police, the accident occurred near the town of Gummersbach near Cologne in the west of the country. According to the preliminary version, the cause of the accident was a sports car that skidded on a slippery road, and it ended up between a fuel truck and its trailer. As a result, the road train also skidded, it broke through the fence and collapsed from the bridge. Luckily, none of the houses below were harmed. The driver and passenger of the sports car fled the scene of the accident. Later, two young men aged 25 and 29 were detained. Temporary repairs cost $40 million and a full replacement would cost $318 million.

9 MetroLink Passenger Train Collision With Freight Train ($500 Million)

On September 12, 2008, the worst train accident in the United States occurred in the Los Angeles suburb of Chatsworth. The train, which was 222 passengers, did not stop at the red signal of the semaphore. As a result, a passenger and an oncoming freight train collided. Metrolink driver Robert Sanchez, who was typing an SMS while driving, was blamed for the train crash. As a result of a head-on collision between freight and passenger trains, 25 people were killed and 135 were injured. The derailment was the worst rail accident in the US since 1993.

8 B-2 Strategic Bomber (Stealth) Crash ($1.4 Billion)

February 23, 2008 at Andersen Air Force Base (Guam) for the first time in history, the latest B-2 strategic bomber (serial number 89-0127, "Spirit of Kansas") crashed. The bomber hit a concrete strip with its wing immediately after takeoff and caught fire. The pilots managed to eject safely. The losses from the plane crash were estimated by the military at $1.4 billion. Recall that on the island of Guam, which is part of the Mariana Islands, American nuclear submarines and strategic aircraft are based, aimed at Asia.
An investigation of the incident showed that incorrect readings of air pressure sensors forced the computer to command a sharp climb during takeoff, which caused a loss of speed and led to an accident.

7. Exxon Valdez tanker accident ($2.5 billion)

March 24, 1989 in Alaska in Prince William Bay, leaving the terminal in Valdez, the oil-filled tanker Exxon Valdez ran into a reef, which led to the largest marine environmental disaster in history. According to scientists, the result of the spill was a sharp decrease in fish populations, including pink salmon, and it will take at least 30 years to restore some areas of the sensitive nature of the Arctic.
In the first months, over 5,000 sea otters, hundreds of seals, dozens of whales and about a million birds died in the affected areas. Coastal animals such as brown bears, deer, minks, etc. also suffered. A few years later, an unprecedented reduction in the number of herring population and a significant decrease in the number of pink salmon appeared.

6 Piper Alpha Explosion ($3.4 Billion)

On July 6, 1988, the Piper Alpha oil platform in the North Sea suffered the largest disaster in the history of the industry. As a result of a gas leak and subsequent explosion, as well as as a result of ill-considered and indecisive actions of the personnel, 167 people died out of 226 people who were on the platform at that moment.
Immediately after the explosion, oil and gas production was stopped on the platform, however, due to the fact that the pipelines of the platform were connected to the general network, through which hydrocarbons flowed from other platforms, and for a long time there was no production and supply of oil and gas to the pipeline. decided to stop (waiting for permission from the top management of the company), a huge amount of hydrocarbons continued to flow through pipelines, which supported the fire. The damage amounted to $3.4 billion.

5 Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion ($5.5 Billion)

On January 28, 1986, the world was shocked by the catastrophe that occurred with the shuttle Challenger. At the 73rd second of the flight, due to a leak in the seal of one of the solid-propellant boosters, the space shuttle with seven astronauts on board exploded. On that terrible day, Frances Scobie, Michael Smith, Ronald McNair, Allison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnick and Christy McAuliffe, a schoolteacher who became the first civilian member of the shuttle crew in NASA history, died in the skies over Florida. The moment a fiery orange-and-white ball suddenly appeared in the blue sky over Florida at an altitude of nine miles, the complacent attitude of mankind towards space flight evaporated forever.
It took $2 billion to replace the ship in 1986, the investigation, correction of flaws and restoration of lost equipment required $450 million ($4.5 billion and $1 billion, respectively, in current prices).

4 Prestige tanker accident ($12 billion)

The tanker Prestige, owned by the Liberian company Universe Maritime, under the flag of the Bahamas, fell into a powerful cyclone off the coast of Galicia on November 12. A 50-meter crack formed in the hull of the tanker, through which fuel oil began to flow from the tanks. Four Spanish tugboats were called in to transport the ship from the active fishing area, but on November 19, already abeam Portugal, the Prestige broke in half and sank at a depth of about 1 km. 20 million gallons of oil spilled into the sea. As a result of the accident, 300 thousand birds died. A complete cleanup of the water area cost $12 billion, but it is impossible to fully assess the damage caused to the ecosystem.

3 Space Shuttle Columbia Crash ($13 Billion)

On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia crashed. It broke into pieces at an altitude of about 63 km. as a result of a hole in one of the wings, received at the start. The wreckage of the shuttle fell near the town of Palestine, a suburb of Dallas, and none of the astronauts had a chance to escape. On board the ship were 7 crew members, including the first Israeli cosmonaut Ilan Ramon. NASA estimates that the total cost of this accident was $13 billion (not including the cost of replacing the craft itself). $500 million of this amount was spent on the investigation of the incident - the most expensive investigation of an aviation accident in history.

2Chernobyl reactor explosion ($200 billion)

On April 26, 1986, an explosion occurred at the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which completely destroyed the reactor. The building of the power unit partially collapsed. A fire broke out in various rooms and on the roof. Subsequently, the remnants of the core melted. A mixture of molten metal, sand, concrete and fuel particles spread over the sub-reactor rooms. As a result of the accident, radioactive substances were released. The situation was aggravated by the fact that uncontrolled nuclear and chemical reactions with the release of heat continued in the destroyed reactor, with the eruption from the fault for many days of the combustion products of highly radioactive elements and their contamination of large areas. It was possible to stop the active eruption of radioactive substances from the destroyed reactor only by the end of May 1986 by mobilizing the resources of the entire USSR and at the cost of mass irradiation of thousands of liquidators.

The accident is regarded as the largest of its kind in the history of nuclear power, both in terms of the estimated number of people killed and affected by its consequences, and in terms of economic damage. The radioactive cloud from the accident passed over the European part of the USSR, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Great Britain and the eastern part of the USA. Approximately 60% of radioactive fallout fell on the territory of Belarus. About 200,000 people were evacuated from contaminated areas.

The number of deaths associated with the Chernobyl disaster, including those who died of cancer years later, is estimated at 125 thousand people. The accident was attributed to a violation of the production procedure by the operators and ignorance of safety requirements. In a 1993 IAEA report, these conclusions were revised. It was recognized that most of the actions of the operators, which were previously considered violations, actually complied with the rules adopted at that time or had no effect on the development of the accident.

1. Events in Japan ($450B)

On March 11, 2011, as a result of the strongest earthquake in Japan, a radiation accident occurred with local consequences, according to Japanese authorities - level 4 at the time of the accident on the INES scale. Subsequently, the severity of the accident was increased to level 5 (18 March, an accident with wide consequences, and then up to level 7 (April 12, major accident) on the INES scale.
At the nuclear power plant "Fukushima-1" three operating power units were stopped by the action of emergency protection, all emergency systems worked in the normal mode. However, an hour later, power supply was interrupted (including from backup diesel generators), presumably due to the tsunami that followed the earthquake. The power supply is needed to cool the shutdown reactors, which actively generate heat for a significant time after the shutdown. Immediately after the loss of backup diesel generators, the owner of the station, TEPCO, declared an emergency to the Japanese government.

Below is a list of the ten biggest natural disasters in human history. The rating is based on the number of deaths.

Earthquake in Aleppo

Death toll: about 230,000

The ranking of the largest natural disasters in the history of mankind opens with an earthquake in Aleppo with a magnitude of 8.5 on the Richter scale, which occurred in several stages near the city of Aleppo in northern Syria on October 11, 1138. It is often referred to as the fourth earthquake in history in terms of the number of deaths. According to the references of the Damascus chronicler Ibn al-Qalanisi, approximately 230,000 people died as a result of this catastrophe.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

Number of victims: 225,000–300,000

An underwater earthquake that occurred on December 26, 2004 in the Indian Ocean off the western coast of North Sumatra, 250 kilometers southeast of the city of Banda Aceh. It is considered one of the strongest earthquakes of the XX-XXI centuries. Its magnitude, according to various estimates, ranged from 9.1 to 9.3 on the Richter scale. Arising at a depth of about 30 km, the earthquake caused a series of devastating tsunamis, the height of which exceeded 15 meters. These waves caused enormous destruction and claimed the lives of, according to various estimates, from 225,000 to 300,000 people in 14 countries. The coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand suffered the most from the tsunami.

Death toll: 171,000–230,000

The Banqiao Dam is a dam on the Ruhe River, Henan Province, China. On August 8, 1975, due to the powerful typhoon Nina, the dam was destroyed, thereby causing flooding and a huge wave 10 km wide and 3–7 meters high. This disaster, according to various estimates, claimed the lives of from 171,000 to 230,000 people, of which about 26,000 died directly from the flood. The rest died from subsequent epidemics and famine. In addition, 11 million people have lost their homes.

Number of victims: 242,419

The Tangshan earthquake, measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale, is the deadliest earthquake of the 20th century. It happened on July 28, 1976 in the Chinese city of Tangshan at 3:42 local time. Its hypocenter was located near the industrial city of a millionaires at a depth of 22 km. Aftershocks with a power of 7.1 did even more damage. According to the Chinese government, the number of victims was 242,419 people, but according to other sources, about 800,000 people died, and another 164,000 were seriously injured. The earthquake also affected settlements located at a distance of 150 kilometers from the epicenter, including Tianjin and Beijing. More than 5,000,000 houses were completely destroyed.

Flood in Kaifeng

Death toll: 300,000–378,000

The Kaifeng flood is a man-made disaster that hit Kaifeng in the first place. This city is located on the south bank of the Yellow River in the Chinese province of Henan. In 1642, the city was flooded by the Yellow River after the Ming Dynasty army opened the dams to prevent the advance of Li Zicheng's troops. Then about 300,000–378,000 people died from the flood and the subsequent famine and plague.

Indian cyclone - 1839

Death toll: over 300,000

The fifth place in the ranking of the largest natural disasters in history is occupied by the Indian cyclone - 1839. On November 16, 1839, a 12-meter wave caused by a powerful storm completely destroyed the large port city of Koringa, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. More than 300,000 people died then. After the disaster, the city was never rebuilt. Now in its place is a small village with a population (2011) - 12,495 inhabitants.

Death toll: approximately 830,000

This earthquake, with a magnitude of approximately 8, occurred on January 23, 1556 in the Chinese province of Shaanxi, during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. More than 97 districts were affected by it, everything was destroyed on an area of ​​​​840 km, and in some areas 60% of the population died. In total, the China earthquake claimed the lives of approximately 830,000 people - more than any other earthquake in human history. The huge number of victims is due to the fact that the majority of the population of the province lived in loess caves, which were destroyed or flooded by mudflows immediately after the first shocks.

Number of victims: 300,000–500,000

The most destructive tropical cyclone in history that hit the territories of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and the Indian state of West Bengal on November 12, 1970. An estimated 300-500 thousand people died from it, mainly as a result of a 9 m high storm tide that flooded many low-lying islands in the Ganges delta. The sub-districts of Thani and Tazumuddin suffered the most from the cyclone, killing more than 45% of the population.

Death toll: about 900,000

This devastating flood occurred on September 28, 1887 in Henan Province, China. The reason for this was the torrential rains that had been falling here for many days. Due to the rains, the water level in the Yellow River rose and destroyed the dam, near the city of Zhengzhou. The water quickly spread throughout northern China, covering an area of ​​approximately 130,000 square kilometers. km, taking the lives of about 900 thousand people, and leaving about 2 million homeless.

Number of victims: 145,000–4,000,000

The largest natural disaster in the world is the flood in China, or rather a series of floods that occurred in 1931 in South-Central China. This disaster was preceded by a drought that lasted from 1928 to 1930. However, the following winter was very snowy, with a lot of rain in the spring, and during the summer months, the country suffered from heavy rains. All these facts contributed to the fact that the three largest rivers in China: the Yangtze, the Huaihe, the Yellow River overflowed their banks, taking the lives of, according to various sources, from 145 thousand to 4 million people. Also, the largest natural disaster in history caused epidemics of cholera and typhus, and also led to famine, during which cases of infanticide and cannibalism were recorded.