Merriespruit tailings dam disaster

1994 CE.

Shown on the map at -28.131°, 26.844°.

The Merriespruit tailings dam disaster occurred on the night of 22 February 1994 when a tailings dam failed and flooded the suburb of Merriespruit, Virginia, Free State, South Africa. Seventeen people were killed as a result. Late in the afternoon on the day of the failure, a thunderstorm occurred and about 50 mm of rain fell within 30 minutes. When the dam failed, 600,000 m3 of mining sludge flowed 4 km. The nearest houses were located 300 m downslope of the dam; when the wave of water and tailings reached them, it was 2.5 m high. Seventeen people were killed and there was widespread devastation and environmental damage. Eighty houses were destroyed.

Text from the Wikipedia article Merriespruit tailings dam disaster, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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