The XX century was marked by rapid technological development. But with progress came new threats. The largest man-made disasters that have shaken the world over the past hundred years have become a grim reminder of the fragility of our civilization and that even the most advanced technologies can turn against us. In this article, we will look at 6 of the largest and most tragic man-made disasters that have left a deep mark on human history.
The Chernobyl accident is considered the most massive man-made tragedy in nuclear power in the history of mankind. The fatal event occurred on April 26, 1986, when a destructive explosion occurred at the fourth power unit of the nuclear power plant. Although fewer than 50 people died in the accident itself, its long-term radiation effects exceeded even the destructive power of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Experts are still analyzing and debating the causes and culprits of this tragedy. The scale of the impact of the disaster is so great that, according to various scientific estimates, it led to several thousand deaths and tens of thousands of cases of serious illness.
The Bhopal tragedy is recognized as the largest man-made disaster in terms of the number of human casualties. On December 3, 1984, at a pesticide plant in the Indian city of Bhopal, overheating of tanks led to an emergency release of over 40 tons of the toxic chemical methyl isocyanate into the atmosphere. The densely populated residential areas and the nearby railway station were the most affected.
According to various estimates, the number of victims ranged from 18 to 30 thousand people. Most of the victims died within a few years of the poisoning, with about 3 thousand people dying on the day of the accident. The American company Union Carbide, which owned the plant, was forced to pay the victims and their families almost half a billion dollars.
Among other man-made disasters, the break of the Banqiao Dam in the Chinese province of Henan stands out. On August 8, 1975, Typhoon Nina caused the destruction of the hydraulic structure, resulting in the flooding of 12 thousand square kilometers of territory. The dam, built with a declared service life of a thousand years, turned out to be completely unprepared for the natural disaster.
Official statistics record 26,000 deaths. According to unofficial data, epidemics and famine took the lives of 170 to 230 thousand people. The catastrophe destroyed 300 thousand heads of cattle and almost 6 million residential and commercial buildings. Henan Province was able to recover from the consequences only 18 years after the tragedy.
The Minamata disaster in Japan was one of the longest and most complex environmental disasters in history. The chemical company Chisso had been carelessly dumping mercury into the local bay for decades, unaware of the catastrophic consequences. The first warning signs came in 1956, when residents noticed strange behavior in cats: the animals were twitching convulsively and often dying, and soon similar symptoms were seen in people.
Science explained the mechanism of poisoning: inorganic mercury was converted into especially dangerous methylmercury, which was absorbed by marine life. Local residents became infected by eating fish and oysters from the contaminated bay. Despite the identification of the source of the toxins, production continued until 1968.
Official statistics acknowledge 2,2 thousand victims of "Minamata disease", but independent sources claim that the number of victims could reach 17 thousand people.
The Great Smog. In the winter of 1952, the British capital was hit by a deadly atmospheric phenomenon. Several factors combined to create the perfect conditions for an environmental disaster: intensive use of coal for heating, industrial emissions, and weather conditions - a complete lack of wind and temperature inversion.
In a short period of five days, six thousand people were officially killed, and another hundred thousand suffered serious health problems. Doctors found that the smog was especially dangerous for vulnerable groups of the population - the elderly, infants, and patients with chronic diseases. Later studies showed that the total number of victims could be as high as twelve thousand.
The British government's response to this tragedy was to pass the Clean Air Act, which was intended to prevent similar environmental disasters in the future.
An equally tragic event was the accident on April 16, 1947, in the port of Texas City. The French ship "Grancamp", which had two thousand tons of ammonium nitrate on board, caught fire, which led to a powerful explosion. The chain reaction destroyed not only the port itself, but also a significant part of the city, as well as other ships and oil storage facilities.
The human losses were enormous: 581 dead and about five thousand injured. The investigation revealed systematic violations in the transportation and storage of explosive substances. Notably, the victims successfully filed a lawsuit against the government for the first time in American history and received multimillion-dollar compensation.
Resource: www.mining-portal.ru
