| Date
| Location
| Parent company
| Ore type
| Type of Incident
| Release
| Impacts
|
|---|
| 2024, June 13
| Cabildo, Valparaíso region, Chile
| Grupo Minero Las Cenizas S.A. 
| copper
| partial failure of embankment dam of Peñablanca tailings storage facility after heavy rain
| ?
| some tailings reached the La Ligua River, but the bulk of the (thickened) tailings remained on site
|
| 2024, May 11
| Siana Gold Project , Mainit town, Surigao Del Norte Province, Philippines
| Greenstone Resources Corp. (100% TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc.
| gold
| tailings dam failure of Tailings Storage Facility 3 after heavy rain and seismic activity
| ?
| "About 10 to 15 houses were affected but no casualties have been reported owing to a timely evacuation of residents"; 55 families had to flee
|
| 2024, Jan. 25(?)
| Lone Khin, Hpakant, Kachin, Myanmar
| 111 Jade Mining Co. (Kyaukmyet Shwe Pyi Company)
| jade
| tailings (?) dam failure
> Watch video of dam collapse as it happens (!) (Youtube)
| 3 million m3
(AGU estimate)
> View satellite imagery (AGU Landslide Blog)
| The mud wave flowed into a lower basin/lake.
|
| 2023, Jan. 31
| Kearl oil sands mine, Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, Canada
| Imperial Oil (69.6% Exxon Mobil Corp.)
| bitumen
| process water drainage pond overflow
| 5,300 m3
| ?
|
| 2022, Nov. 7
| Williamson Mine, Mwadui Lohumbo, Kishapu District, Shinyanga Province, Tanzania
| Petra Diamonds Ltd (75%), Government of Tanzania (25%)
| diamond
| tailings dam failure:
the tailings escaped through an approx. 150 m wide breach of the eastern wall of the impoundment; the outflow of tailings was still ongoing between Nov. 7 and Nov. 8
| 12.8 million m3 of water and tailings
| The mud wave (up to 1.2 km wide) traveled over 8 km, covering 5.09 km2, damaging 13 houses and farmland. Three injuries have been reported. About 115 citizens of Ngw'wanholo village have been severely affected.
|
| 2022, Sep. 11
| Jagersfontein (🔊︎), Kopanong, Xhariep, Free State, South Africa
| Jagersfontein Developments (Pty) Ltd (then part of Superkolong Consortium) acquired the site in 2010 from De Beers ; in April 2022, Jagersfontein Developments (Pty) Ltd became part of Stargems Group , Dubai; current ownership is disputed
| diamond (recovery by processing of old spoil heaps)
| tailings dam failure
> Watch video (Youtube)
| 5.04 million m3
| The mud wave (up to 1.5 km wide) traveled approx. 8.5 km, sweeping away and/or destroying 51 houses and affecting another 103, sweeping away cars, disrupting power lines, killing two persons, injuring another 76, and displacing more than 300. One person is still missing. At least 500 animals have died.
The mud then entered Wolwas Dam, then Prosesspruit, a tributary to Rietrivier, which flows into Kalkfontein Dam, located in a Nature Reserve.
> Watch video (Youtube)
|
| 2022, July 23
| Agua Dulce, Potosí, Bolivia
| Federación Departamental de Cooperativas Mineras de Potosí (Fedecomín)
| silver, zinc
| tailings dam failure
| ?
| A mud wave with unrecovered minerals and chemical elements reached the river of la Rivera, as well as the Quebrada de Tarapaya, which connects with the Pilcomayo River. Argentina's Salta province has issued an order forbidding the use of the Pilcomayo River water.
|
| 2022, May - 2023, February?
| Kearl oil sands mine, Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, Canada
| Imperial Oil (69.6% Exxon Mobil Corp.)
| bitumen
| tailings seepage
| ?
| ?
|
| 2022, Mar. 27
| Wenquan Township, Jiaokou County, Shanxi Province, China
| Shanxi Daoer Aluminum Co., Ltd.
| bauxite
| tailings dam failure
| 224,000 m3
| Part of the factory area was buried; a large pit was formed in the tailings pond, the dam body was flushed with a gap of about 70 to 80 meters, causing 7.5 mu [0.5 ha] of arbor forest land to be buried, more than 200 meters of seasonal ditches and rural roads were blocked, and part of the surrounding walls of adjacent enterprises were washed away.
|
| 2022, Jan. 20
| Banjhiberana village, Thelkoloi area, Sambalpur district, Odisha (formerly Orissa), India
| JSW Bhushan Power and Steel Limited
| iron
| breach of tailings pond wall holding iron slurry generated from beneficiation plant
| ?
| at least 20-30 acres [8-12 hectares] of farmland were submerged under the iron ore slurry while two ponds were contaminated, causing a fish kill; a security guard is reported missing
|
| 2022, Jan. 8
| Pau Branco mine, Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| Vallourec S.A.
| iron
| After heavy rain, a slope failure involving three banks of the Cachoeirinha mine waste pile resulted in a release of mine waste into the Lisa water retention dam. The dam then overflowed on the whole length of the embankment, without compromising its stability.
> View video of dam overflow (Youtube)
| ?
| The mud wave overflowing from the retention dam blocked the BR-040 highway. One person was injured.
|
| 2021, Dec. 24
| Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| Zululand Anthracite Colliery (Menar group )
| anthracite coal
| slurry dam failure
| 1,500 m3 of slurry, containing a variety of several toxic heavy metals and chemical compounds that include mercury, manganese, arsenic, copper and lead
| the liquid coal waste poured into the Black Umfolozi and White Umfolozi River system, flowing through rural communities and the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and iSimangaliso wildlife reserves, raising concern about the health of people, animals and the broader environment exposed to toxic and acidic wastes
|
| 2021, Nov. 26
| San Antonio de María mine, Ananea, San Antonio de Putina province, Puno, Peru
| Central de Cooperativas Mineras de San Antonio de Poto (CECOMSAP)
| gold
| tailings dam (settling pond?) failure after heavy rain
| ?
| the tailings wave destroyed approx. 400 meters of the national road that goes to the La Rinconada town center and spilled into three residential areas (Progreso, Central and Santiago)
|
| 2021, Nov. 18
| Yedikardes village, Sebinkarahisar district of Giresun, Turkey
| Nesko Madencilik A.S. (Yildizlar Holding)
| lead, zinc, copper
| failure of tailings dam No.2
| > 4,500 t
| the tailings flowed into dam No. 1 and then into the Darabul Stream and reached Kiliçkaya Dam 5 km downstream (watch TEMA Foundation video on Youtube)
|
| 2021, July 27
| Catoca mine, Saurimo, Lunda Sul, Angola
| Sociedade Mineira de Catoca Lda. , Luanda
| diamond
| breach in spillway duct leads to massive spill of "rejected pulp"
| ?
| Lova River polluted 100 km downstream; pollution of Tchicapa River rendered drinking water in the Muatova neighborhood in the city of Lucapa unsafe (view Sentinel Vision images )
|
| 2020, July 2
| Hpakant, Kachin state, Myanmar
|
| jade
| waste heap failure after heavy rain
| ?
| a heap of mining waste collapsed into a lake, triggering a wave of mud and water that buried many workers; at least 126 people were killed
|
| 2020, May 1
| San José de Los Manzanos, Canelas, Durango, Mexico
| Exportaciones de Minerales de Topia SA (EMITSA)
| lead, zinc
| tailings dam failure
| 6,000 m3
| the tailings spilled on a nearby road and 8,000 m2 of land, reaching the San Bernabé stream after 5 km and the town of the same name
|
| 2020, Mar. 28
| Tieli, Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province, China
| Yichun Luming Mining Co., Ltd (subsidiary of state-run China Railway Resources Group Co., Ltd )
| molybdenum
| "No. 4 overflow well" [decant tower?] of the tailings dam tilted, resulting in the release of supernatant water and tailings through a drainage tunnel, while the embankment itself remained intact
| 2.53 million m3
| water and tailings flowed through surrounding area, reaching Yijimi river after 3 km, threatening the drinking water resource of 68,000 people in Tieli City; by Apr. 4, the pollution reached 208 km downstream
|
| 2019, Nov. 13
| La Rinconada, Ananea, San Antonio de Putina province, Puno, Peru
| Corporación minera San Francisco, Central de Cooperativas Mineras de San Antonio de Putina (Cecomsap)
| gold
| tailings dam failure
| ?
| the tailings wave flowed over the Ananea-La Rinconada highway, killing one motorcyclist
|
| 2019, Oct. 1
| Nossa Senhora do Livramento, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| VM Mineração e Construção, Cuiabá
| gold
| tailings dam failure
| ?
| tailings flowed 1-2 km, thereby disrupting a power line
|
| 2019, July 10
| Cobriza mine, San Pedro de Coris district, Churcampa province, Huancavelica region, Peru
| Doe Run Perú S.R.L.
| copper
| tailings dam failure
| 67,488 m3 of tailings
| tailings covered an area of 41,574 m2 and reached Mantaro River
|
| 2019, Apr. 22
| Hpakant, Kachin state, Myanmar
| Shwe Nagar Koe Kaung Gems Co. Ltd., Myanmar Thura Gems Co. Ltd.
| jade
| waste heap failure
| ?
| 3 workers killed, 54 workers are missing
|
| 2019, Apr. 9
| Muri, Jharkhand, India
| Hindalco Industries Limited
| bauxite
| failure of red mud tailings pond
| ?
| spill of red mud over 35 acres and a nearby railway line, number of casualties still unclear
|
| 2019, Mar. 29
| Machadinho d'Oeste, Oriente Novo, Rondônia, Brazil
| Metalmig Mineração Indústria e Comércio S/A
| tin
| failure of inactive tailings dam after heavy rain
| ?
| tailings spill damaged seven bridges, leaving 100 families isolated; no deaths or injuries reported
|
| 2019, Jan. 25
| Córrego de Feijão mine, Brumadinho, Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| Vale SA
| iron
| failure of tailings dam No. 1
(View details)
| 12 million m3
> View: video of dam failure and flow slide as it happens (!) (Globo)
| The tailings wave devastated the mine's loading station, its administrative area, and two smaller sediment retention basins (B4 and B4A); it then traveled approx. 7 km downhill until reaching Rio Paraopeba, thereby destroying a bridge of the mine's railway branch, and spreading to parts of the local community Vila Ferteco, near the town of Brumadinho; the slurry was then carried further by Rio Paraopeba; 267 people were killed, and several are still reported missing.
(View details)
|
| 2018, June 4
| Cieneguita mine, Urique, Chihuahua, Mexico
| Minera Rio Tinto (Cluster Minero de Chihuahua A.C. )
| gold, silver
| tailings dam failure
| 249,000 m3 of tailings and 190,000 m3 of embankment material
| Dam failure results in tailings release travelling 29 km downstream; most of the tailings have been deposited along the course of the Cañitas River. The Federal Attorney's Office for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) says that the tailings don't contain cyanide or any heavy metals. Three workers were killed, two wounded, and four are reported missing.
|
| 2018, Mar. 9
| Cadia, New South Wales, Australia
| Newcrest Mining Ltd
| gold, copper
| tailings dam failure, mainly due to the existence of a low-density foundation layer in the vicinity of the slump.
> Download: Independent Technical Review Board report , Apr. 17, 2019 (27.6MB PDF)
> View: video (Youtube)
| 1.33 million m3 of tailings
| Embankment failure results in "limited breakthrough" of tailings material from the northern to the southern tailings dam. The breakthrough has been contained within the southern tailings dam.
|
| 2018, Mar. 3
| Huancapatí (Huancapetí), Recuay province, Áncash region, Peru
| Compañía Minera Lincuna SA (Grupo Picasso)
|
| collapse of embankment of tailings dam No. 2 after heavy rain
| 80,000 m3 of tailings
| the incident has contaminated crops, the Sipchoc creek and the Santa river
|
| 2018, Feb. 17
| Barcarena, Pará, Brazil
| Hydro Alunorte / Norsk Hydro ASA
| bauxite
| overflow of red mud basin after heavy rain [the company, however, maintains that no overflow has occured at all!]
| ?
| Highly alkaline and metal-laden liquids flooded the surrounding residential areas, rendering the drinking water supply in the area unusable.
> View/Download information provided by Instituto Evandro Chagas (IEC): Mar. 6, 2018 · Mar. 29, 2018 (in Portuguese)
On Mar. 12, 2018, local environmental activist Paulo Nascimento was shot dead in front of his house.
|
| 2017, Sep. 17
| Kokoya Gold Mine, Bong County, Liberia
| MNG Gold Liberia (Redwood Global Inc. )
| gold
| rupture of a section of the geo-membrane layer / overflow after heavy rain (?)
| discharge of 11,500 m3 of slurry containing cyanide into Sien Creek, a major water source for residents in Saywehta Town
| 30 people became ill as a result of pollution of the creek due to the chemical spill, but this cause for the illnesses reported was later disputed
|
| 2017, June 30
| Mishor Rotem, Israel
| Rotem Amfert Negev Ltd. , Israel Chemicals (ICL)
| phosphate
| phosphogypsum dam failure
| 100,000 m3 of acidic waste water
| The toxic wastewater surged through the dry Ashalim riverbed and left a wake of ecological destruction more than 20 km long
|
| 2017, Mar. 12
| Tonglvshan Mine, Hubei province, China
| China Daye Non-Ferrous Metals Mining Limited
| copper, gold, silver, iron
| a partial dam failure occurred at the northwestern corner of the tailings pond, opening a crevasse (gap) of approx. 200 metres
| approx. 200,000 m3 of tailings
| The tailings flooded the fish pond downstream of approx. 27 hectares. Two persons were reported dead and one was reported missing.
|
| 2016, Dec. 28
| Satemu, Hpakant, Kachin state, Myanmar
| Jade Palace Company
| jade
| waste heap failure
| ?
| approx. 50 workers missing
|
| 2016, Oct. 27
| Antamok mine (inactive), Itogon, Benguet province, Philippines
| Benguet Corp.
| gold
| tailings flow through drain tunnel of underground mine after heavy rains
| at least 50,000 t of tailings (an amount considered "negligible" by the company)
| The leaked tailings flowed into Liang River, then Ambalanga river before reaching Agno river.
|
| 2016, Aug. 27
| New Wales plant, Mulberry, Polk County, Florida, USA
| Mosaic Co
| phosphate
| a 14 metre-wide sinkhole appeared in a phosphogypsum stack, opening a pathway for contamined liquid into the underground; the liquid reached the Floridan Aquifer, a major drinking water resource
| 840,000 m3 of contaminated liquid released (as of Sep. 17, 2016)
|
|
| 2016, Aug. 8
| Dahegou Village, Luoyang, Henan province, China
| Luoyang Xiangjiang Wanji Aluminium Co., Ltd.
| bauxite
| failure of a tailings dam holding about 2 million cubic metres of red mud
| ?
| village totally submerged in red mud, around 300 villagers evacuated, many farm and domestic animals killed
|
| 2016, Aug. 4
| Ujina, Pica, Tamarugal Province, Tarapacá Region, Chile
| Compañía Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi SCM
(Anglo American plc (44%), Glencore (44%), Japan Collahuasi Resources B.V. (12%))
| copper, molybdenum
| breakage in a tailings transport chute, allegedly caused by an earthquake that occurred in the area
| 4,500 cubic metres of tailings
| the spilled toxic material ran into an ancestral grazing area, threatening four specimens of Vicuña, a protected camelid species, and the groundwater
|
| 2016, May 22
| Ridder, Kazakhstan
| Kazzinc (Glencore (69.61%))
| zinc
| failure of former "water discharge collector system" (decant tower?) at the Talovsky Tailings Dam
| ?
| tailings slurry containing cyanide, zinc, lead, copper and manganese was discharged into the Filippovka River, later reaching Tikhaya River and Ulba River, and was to reach the Siberian city of Omsk 1,100 km downstream around June 2
|
| 2015, Dec. 14
| Lamaungkone, Hpakant, Kachin state, Myanmar
| Tun Tauk Zabu jade mining company
| jade
| waste heap failure
| ?
| 1 worker killed, approx. 20 others missing
|
| 2015, Nov. 23
| Taishihe town, Xihe county, Longnan city, Gansu province, China
| Gansu Longxing Antimony Industry Limited Liability Company
| antimony
| drainage well failure
| 25,000 m3 of tailings and tailings water
| tailings and tailings water flowed into the adjacent Taishi River (a tributary of the Xihan River, the first branch of the Jialing River). Contamination stemming from tailings flowed into Gansu, Shanxi and Sichuan provinces along the Jialing River, causing serious environmental pollution in these areas.
|
| 2015, Nov. 21
| San Kat Kuu, Hpakant, Kachin state, Myanmar
| Hlan Shan Myonwesu, Yadanar Yong Chi, Yadanar Aung Chan
| jade
| waste heap failure
| ?
| at least 113 people killed
|
| 2015, Nov. 5
| Germano mine, Bento Rodrigues, distrito de Mariana, Região Central, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| Samarco Mineração S.A. (50% BHP Billiton , 50% Vale )
| iron
| failure of the Fundão tailings dam due to insufficient drainage, leading to liquefaction of the tailings sands shortly after a small earthquake.
For details, see: The Fundão Tailings Dam Investigation
| 32 million m3
Video of the flow slide
| slurry wave flooded town of Bento Rodrigues, destroying 158 homes, at least 17 persons killed and 2 reported missing; slurry pollutes North Gualaxo River, Carmel River and Rio Doce over 663 km, destroying 15 square kilometers of land along the rivers and cutting residents off from potable water supply; the damage is at least US$ 6.7 billion
|
| 2014, Oct. 16
| Dos Señores mine, La Concordia, Sinaloa, Mexico
| Minerales Santa Rosa
| gold, silver
| tailings dam failure
| 10,800 t
| The tailings traveled approximately 900 meters, affecting the El Charcas or Pánuco stream and threatening the drinking water supply in the area
|
| 2014, Sep. 10
| Herculano mine, Itabirito, Região Central, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| Herculano Mineração Ltda
| iron
| tailings dam failure
| ?
| two workers killed and one missing
|
| 2014, Aug. 7
| Buenavista del Cobre mine, Cananea, Sonora, Mexico
| Southern Copper Corp. (Grupo México )
| copper
| tailings dam failure
| 40,000 m3 of copper sulphate
| flow into the 420km-long Bacanuchi river waterway, a tributary of the Sonora River, directly affecting 800,000 people.
For details, download: Dictamen Diagnóstico Ambiental Río Sonora, Semarnat, Mayo 2023 (8.2MB PDF - in Spanish)
|
| 2014, Aug. 4
| Mount Polley mine, near Likely, British Columbia, Canada
| Imperial Metals Corp.
| copper, gold
| tailings dam failure due to foundation failure (view details)
| 7.3 million m3 of tailings, 10.6 million m3 of water, and 6.5 million m3 of interstitial water
| tailings flowing into adjacent Polley Lake and, through Hazeltine Creek, into Quesnel Lake (Mitchell Bay)
|
| 2014, July 4
| Santiago Apóstol mining operation, Tacobamba, Potosí, Bolivia
| Silver y Tim
| zinc, silver, lead, tin
| tailings dam failure
| more than 30,000 m3 of tailings
| release into upper Pilcomayo basin
|
| 2014, May 15/16
| Stolice mine, Kostajnik, Municipality Krupanj, Serbia
| Farmakom MB
| antimony
| collapse of abandoned flotation tailings dam, caused by damage of the dam's drainage system by a landslide that was triggered by heavy rain
| 100,000 m3 of tailings slurry
| tailings were released into the Kostajnik River, contaminating 27 km of riverbeds and 360 hectares of agricultural land; after another storm on July 17, tailings again spilled out of the damaged dam and into the Kostajnik
|
| 2014, Feb. 2
| Dan River Steam Station, Eden, North Carolina, USA
| Duke Energy
| coal ash
| collapse of an old drainage pipe under a 27-acre ash waste pond
| about 82,000 short tons [74,400 t] of toxic coal ash and 27 million gallons [100,000 m3] of contaminated water
| ash flowing through drainage pipe into Dan River
|
| 2013, Nov. 15-19
| Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine , Kajaran, Syunik province, Armenia
| Cronimet Mining AG
| copper, molybdenum
| damage of tailings pipeline
| ?
| tailings flowing into Norashenik River for several days
|
| 2013, Oct. 31
| Obed Mountain Coal Mine, northeast of Hinton, Alberta, Canada
| Sherritt International
| coal
| breach of wall in containment pond
| spill of 670,000 m3 of coal wastewater and 90,000 tonnes of muddy sediment
| plume of slurry containing fine coal particles, clay and heavy metals into the Apetowun und Plate creeks and eventually the Athabasca River
|
| 2013, Jan. 20
| El Herrero mine, Otáez, Barrancas province, Durango state, Mexico
| Grupo Minero Bacís , Durango, Mexico
| gold-silver
| tailings dam failure
| release of 300,000 m3 of waste
| four people killed and one injured; Los Remedios river in Durango, San Lorenzo river and El Comedero reservoir in Sinaloa contaminated, fish killed in Los Remedios river 130 km downstream; 300 families lost their incomes from a tilapia fish farm
|
| 2012, Dec. 17
| former Gullbridge mine site, Newfoundland, Canada
|
| copper
| embankment dam failure, width 50 m
|
| non-consumption water advisory has been issued for the Town of South Brook (view details - Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Environment and Conservation)
|
| 2012, Nov. 4
| Sotkamo, Kainuu province, Finland
| Talvivaara Mining Company Plc
| nickel, (uranium by-product planned)
| leak from gypsum pond through a "funnel-shaped hole"
| hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of contaminated waste water
| nickel and zinc concentrations in nearby Snow River exceeded the values that are harmful to organisms tenfold or even a hundredfold, uranium concentrations more than tenfold (view details)
|
| 2012, Aug. 1
| Padcal mine, Itogon, Benguet province, Philippines
| Philex Mining Corp.
| copper, gold
| "breach" in tailings pond No.3 during heavy rains
| 20.6 million t of tailings
| tailings discharged into the Balog River, which flows to the Agno River.
|
| 2011, Jul. 21
| Mianyang City, Songpan County, Sichuan Province, China
| Xichuan Minjiang Electrolytic Manganese Plant
| manganese
| tailings dam damaged from landslides caused from heavy rains
| ?
| tailings damaged residential roads and houses, forcing 272 people to leave; tailings were washed into the Fujiang River, leaving 200,000 people without drinking water supply
|
| 2011, May
| Bloom Lake mine, Fermont, Québec, Canada
| Bloom Lake General Partner Ltd. (then 75% owned by Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.)
| iron
| Dam breach of Triangle tailings pond
| more than 200,000 m3 of "deleterious materials"
|
|
| 2010, Oct. 4
| Kolontár, Hungary
(Aerial View: Google Maps )
| MAL Magyar Alumínium
| bauxite
| tailings dam failure (view details)
| 700,000 m3 of caustic red mud
| several towns flooded, 10 people killed, approx. 120 people injured, 8 square kilometres flooded
|
| 2010, Jun. 25
| Huancavelica, Peru
| Unidad Minera Caudalosa Chica
| ?
| tailings dam failure
| 21,420 m3 of tailings
| contamination of río Escalera and río Opamayo 110 km downstream
|
| 2009, Aug. 29
| Karamken, Magadan region, Russia
| Karamken Minerals Processing Plant
| gold
| tailings dam failure after heavy rain
(see background info 2004 , press compilation 2009 , update 2012 - SRIC)
| more than 1 million m3 of water, 150,000 m3 of tailings, and 55,000 m3 of
dams materials
| eleven homes were carried away by the mudflow; at least one person was killed
|
| 2009, May 14
| Huayuan County, Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province, China
| ?
| manganese
| tailings dam failure (capacity: 50,000 cubic metres)
| ?
| The landslide set off by the tailings dam failure destroyed a home, killing three and injuring four people.
|
| 2009, April 27
| Barcarena, Pará, Brazil
| Hydro Alunorte / Norsk Hydro ASA
| bauxite
| overflow of drainage channels around red mud basin after heavy rain
|
|
|
| 2008, Dec. 22
| Kingston fossil plant, Harriman, Tennessee, USA
| Tennessee Valley Authority
| coal ash
| retention wall failure
| Release of 5.4 million cubic yards [4.1 million m3] of ashy slurry
| The ash slide covered 400 acres [1.6 square kilometres] as deep as 6 feet [1.83 metres]. The wave of ash and mud toppled power lines, covered Swan Pond Road and ruptured a gas line. It damaged 12 homes, and one person had to be rescued, though no one was seriously hurt.
|
| 2008, Sep. 8
| Taoshi, Linfen City, Xiangfen county, Shanxi province, China
| Tashan mining company
| iron
| Collapse of a waste-product reservoir at an illegal mine during rainfall
| 190,000 m3 of tailings
| A mudslide several metres high flowed 2.5 km downstream, buried a market, several homes and a three-storey building. 277 people are killed and 33 injured.
|
| 2007, Nov. 25
| Shiqiaozi, Haicheng, Liaoning, China
| Dingyang Mining Co Ltd (subsidiary of Xiyang Corp.)
| iron
| failure of tailings dam holding 150,000 cubic metres
| ?
| an 80 m-wide mud flow hit 33 homes in the village of Xiangyang and more homes in Caijia; 10 people are killed, 3 reported missing, and 17 injured
|
| 2007, Jan. 10
| Miraí, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| Mineração Rio Pomba Cataguases Ltda
| bauxite
| tailings dam failure after heavy rain
| 2 million m3 of mud, containing water and clay ("red mud")
| the mud flow left about 4000 residents of the cities of Miraí and Muriaé in the Zona da Mata homeless. Crops and pastures were destroyed and the water supply was compromised in cities in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.
|
| 2006, Nov. 6
| Nchanga, Chingola, Zambia
| Konkola Copper Mines Plc (KCM)
(51% Vedanta Resources plc )
| copper
| failure of tailings slurry pipeline from Nchanga tailings leaching plant to Muntimpa tailings dumps
| ?
| Release of highly acidic tailings into Kafue river; high concentrations of copper, manganese, cobalt in river water; drinking water supply of downstream communities shut down
|
| 2006, April 30
| near Miliang, Zhen'an County, Shangluo, Shaanxi Province, China
| Zhen'an County Gold Mining Co. Ltd.
| gold
| tailings dam failure during sixth upraising of dam
| ?
| The landslide buried about 40 rooms of nine households, killing 17 residents. Five injured people were taken to hospital. More than 130 local residents have been evacuated. Toxic potassium cyanide was released into the Huashui river, contaminating it approx. 5 km downstream.
|
| 2005, April 14
| Bangs Lake, Jackson County, Mississippi, USA
| Mississippi Phosphates Corp.
| phosphate
| phosphogypsum stack failure, because the company was trying to increase the capacity of the pond at a faster rate than normal, according to Officials with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (the company has blamed the spill on unusually heavy rainfall, though)
| approx. 17 million gallons of acidic liquid (64,350 m3)
| liquid poured into adjacent marsh lands, causing vegetation to die
|
| 2004, Nov. 30
| Pinchi Lake, British Columbia, Canada
| Teck Cominco Ltd.
| mercury
| dam of former 'emergency spills lagoon' (100-metres long and 12-metres high) collapses during reclamation work
| 6,000 to 8,000 m3 of rock, dirt and waste water
| material spilled into 5,500 ha Pinchi Lake
|
| 2004, Sep. 5
| Riverview, Florida, USA
| Cargill Crop Nutrition
| phosphate
| a dike at the top of a 100-foot-high gypsum stack holding 150-million gallons of polluted water broke after waves driven by Hurricane Frances bashed the dike's southwest corner
| 60 million gallons (227,000 m3) of acidic liquid
| liquid spilled into Archie Creek that leads to Hillsborough Bay
|
| 2004, May 22
| Partizansk, Primorski Krai, Russia
| Dalenergo
| coal ash
| A ring dike, enclosing an area of roughly 1 km2 and holding roughly 20 million cubic meters of coal ash, broke. The break left a hole roughly 50 meter wide in the dam.
| approximately 160,000 m3 of ash
| The ash flowed through a drainage canal into a tributary to the Partizanskaya River which empties in to Nahodka Bay in Primorski Krai (east of Vladivostok).
For details download Sept. 2004 report (PDF) by Paul Robinson, SRIC
|
| 2004, March 20
| Malvési, Aude, France
| Comurhex (Cogéma/Areva)
| decantation and evaporation pond of uranium conversion plant
| dam failure after heavy rain in preceding year (view details)
| 30,000 m3 of liquid and slurries
| release led to elevated nitrate concentrations of up to 170 mg/L in the canal of Tauran for several weeks
|
| 2003, Oct. 3
| Cerro Negro, Petorca prov., Quinta region, Chile
| Cia Minera Cerro Negro
| copper
| tailings dam failure
| 50,000 tonnes of tailings
| tailings flowed 20 kilometers downstream the río La Ligua
|
| 2003, Aug. 30
| Sasa Mine, Macedonia
| State owned
| lead-zinc
| partial dam collapse following failure of an ancillary structure that diverted captured drainage water from Tailings Storage Facility No. 3.1 into the river diversion tunnel
| 70,000 - 100,000 m3 of tailings
| tailings flowed 12 kilometers downstream the Kamenica River into Lake Kalimanci
|
| 2002, Aug. 27 / Sep. 11
| San Marcelino, Zambales, Philippines
| Dizon Copper Silver Mines, Inc.
|
| overflow and spillway failure of two abandoned tailings dams after heavy rain (view details)
| ?
| Aug. 27: some tailings spilled into Mapanuepe Lake and eventually into the Sto. Tomas River
Sep. 11: low lying villages flooded with mine waste; 250 families evacuated; nobody reported hurt so far
|
| 2001, Jun. 22
| Sebastião das Águas Claras, Nova Lima district, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| Mineração Rio Verde Ltda
| iron
| mine waste dam failure (view details)
| ?
| tailings wave traveled at least 6 km, killing at least two mine workers, three more workers are missing
|
| 2000, Oct. 18
| Nandan Tin mine, Dachang, Guangxi province, China
| ?
| tin
| failure of upstream dam
| ?
| 28 people killed; more than 100 houses destroyed
|
| 2000, Oct. 11
| Inez, Martin County, Kentucky, USA
| Martin County Coal Corporation (100% A.T. Massey Coal Company, Inc. , Richmond, VA (100% Fluor Corp. ))
| coal
| tailings dam failure from collapse of an underground mine beneath the slurry impoundment (view details)
| 250 million gallons (950,000 m3) of coal waste slurry released into local streams
| About 75 miles (120 km) of rivers and streams turned an irridescent black, causing a fish kill along the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River and some of its tributaries. Towns along the Tug were forced to turn off their drinking water intakes.
|
| 2000, Sep. 8
| Aitik mine, Gällivare, Sweden
| Boliden Ltd.
| copper
| tailings dam failure from insufficient perviousness of filter drain (view details)
| release of 2.5 million m3 of liquid into an adjacent settling pond, subsequent release of 1.5 million m3 of water (carrying some residual slurry) from the settling pond into the environment
|
|
| 2000, Mar. 10
| Baia Borşa, Maramureş County, Romania
| Remin S.A., Baia Mare
| copper, lead, zinc
| failure of the Novaţ-Roşu tailings dam after heavy rain
| 20,000 t of heavy-metal contaminated tailings and 100,000 m3 of contaminated water
| contamination of the Vaser stream, tributary of the Tisza River.
View Romanian Govt. report ·
UNEP report (527k PDF)
|
| 2000, Jan. 30
| Baia Mare, Romania
| Aurul S.A. (Esmeralda Exploration , Australia (50%), Remin S.A. (44.8%))
| gold recovery from old tailings
| tailings dam crest failure after overflow caused from heavy rain and melting snow (view details)
| 100,000 m3 of cyanide-contaminated liquid
| contamination of the Somes/Szamos stream, tributary of the Tisza River, killing tonnes of fish and poisoning the drinking water of more than 2 million people in Hungary
|
| 1999, Apr. 26
| Placer, Surigao del Norte, Philippines
| Manila Mining Corp. (MMC)
| gold
| tailings spill from damaged concrete pipe
| 700,000 tonnes of cyanide tailings
| 17 homes buried, 51 hectares of riceland swamped
|
| 1998, Dec. 31
| Huelva, Spain
| Fertiberia , Foret
| phosphate
| dam failure during storm (view details)
| 50,000 m3 of acidic and toxic water
|
|
| 1998, Apr. 25
| Los Frailes, Aznalcóllar, Spain
| Boliden Ltd. , Canada
| zinc, lead, copper, silver
| dam failure from foundation failure (view details)
| 4-5 million m3 of toxic water and slurry
| thousands of hectares of farmland covered with slurry
|
| 1997, Dec. 7
| Mulberry Phosphate, Polk County, Florida, USA
| Mulberry Phosphates, Inc.
| phosphate
| phosphogypsum stack failure
| 200,000 m3 of phosphogypsum process water
| biota in the Alafia River eliminated
|
| 1997, Oct. 22
| Pinto Valley, Arizona, USA
| BHP Copper
| copper
| tailings dam slope failure
| 230,000 m3 of tailings and mine rock
| tailings flow covers 16 hectares
|
| 1996, Nov. 12
| Amatista, Nazca, Peru
| ?
| ?
| liquefaction failure of upstream-type tailings dam during earthquake
| more than 300,000 m3 of tailings
| flow runout of about 600 meters, spill into river, croplands contaminated
|
| 1996, Aug. 29
| El Porco, Bolivia
| Comsur (62%), Rio Tinto (33%)
| zinc, lead, silver
| dam failure
| 400,000 tonnes
| 300 km of Pilcomayo river contaminated
|
| 1996, Mar. 24
| Marcopper, Marinduque Island, Philippines
| Placer Dome Inc. , Canada (40%)
| copper
| Loss of tailings from storage pit through old drainage tunnel
| 1.6 million m3
| Evacuation of 1200 residents, 18 km of river channel filled with tailings, US$ 80 million damage
|
| 1995, Dec.
| Golden Cross, New Zealand
| Coeur d'Alène , Idaho, USA
| gold
| Dam movement of dam containing 3 million tonnes of tailings (continuing) (view details )
| Nil (so far)
| Nil (so far)
|
| 1995, Sep. 2
| Placer, Surigao del Norte, Philippines
| Manila Mining Corp.
| gold
| Dam foundation failure
| 50,000 m3
| 12 people killed, coastal pollution
|
| 1995, Aug. 19
| Omai, Guyana
| Cambior Inc. , Canada (65%), Golden Star Resources Inc., Colorado, USA (30%)
| gold
| tailings dam failure from internal dam erosion (preliminary report on technical causation)
| 4.2 million m3 of cyanide slurry
| 80 km of Essequibo River declared environmental disaster zone (view details )
|
| 1994, Nov. 19
| Hopewell Mine, Hillsborough County, Florida, USA
| IMC-Agrico
| phosphate
| dam failure
| Nearly 1.9 million m3 of water from a clay settling pond
| spill into nearby wetlands and the Alafia River, Keysville flooded
|
| 1994, Oct. 2
| Payne Creek Mine, Polk County, Florida, USA
| IMC-Agrico
| phosphate
| dam failure
| 6.8 million m3 of water from a clay settling pond
| majority of spill contained on adjacent mining area; 500,000 m3 released into Hickey Branch, a tributary of Payne Creek
|
| 1994, Oct.
| Fort Meade, Florida, USA
| Cargill
| phosphate
| ?
| 76,000 m3 of water
| spill into Peace River near Fort Meade
|
| 1994, June
| IMC-Agrico, Florida, USA
| IMC-Agrico
| phosphate
| Sinkhole opens in phosphogypsum stake
| ?
| Release of gypsum and water into groundwater
|
| 1994, Feb. 22
| Harmony, Merriespruit, South Africa
| Harmony Gold Mines
| gold
| Dam wall breach following heavy rain
| 600,000 m3
| tailings traveled 4 km downstream, 17 people killed, extensive damage to residential township
|
| 1994, Feb. 14
| Olympic Dam, Roxby Downs, South Australia
| WMC Ltd.
| copper, uranium
| leakage of tailings dam during 2 years or more
| release of up to 5 million m3 of contaminated water into subsoil
| ?
|
| 1994
| Daye Iron Ore mine, Longjiaoshan, Hubei, China
| ?
| iron
| faillure of upstream dam
| ?
| 31 people killed
|
| 1993, Oct.
| Gibsonton, Florida, USA
| Cargill
| phosphate
| ?
| ?
| Fish killed when acidic water spilled into Archie Creek
|
| 1993
| Marsa, Peru
| Marsa Mining Corp.
| gold
| dam failure from overtopping
| ?
| 6 people killed
|
| 1992, Mar. 1
| Maritsa Istok 1, near Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
| ?
| ash/cinder
| dam failure from inundation of the beach
| 500,000 m3
| ?
|
| 1992, Jan.
| No.2 tailings pond, Padcal, Luzon, Philippines
| Philex Mining Corp.
| copper
| Collapse of dam wall (foundation failure)
| 80 million tonnes
| ?
|
| 1991, Aug. 23
| Sullivan mine, Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
| Cominco Ltd
| lead/zinc
| dam failure (liquefaction in old tailings foundation during construction of incremental raise)
| 75,000 m3
| the slided material was contained in an adjacent pond
|
| 1989, Aug. 25
| Stancil, Perryville, Maryland, USA
| ?
| sand and gravel
| dam failure during capping of the tailings after heavy rain
| 38,000 m3
| tailings flowside covered 5000 m2
|
| 1988, Apr. 30
| Jinduicheng, Shaanxi province, China
| ?
| molybdenum
| breach of dam wall (spillway blockage caused pond level to rise too high)
| 700,000 m3
| approx. 20 people killed
|
| 1988, Jan. 19
| Tennessee Consolidated No.1, Grays Creek, TN, USA
| Tennessee Consolidated Coal Co.
| coal
| dam wall failure from internal erosion, caused from failure of an abandoned outlet pipe
| 250,000 m3
| ?
|
| 1988
| Riverview, Florida, USA
| Gardinier (now Cargill )
| phosphate
| ?
| acidic spill
| Thousands of fish killed at mouth of Alafia River
|
| 1987, April 8
| Montcoal No.7, Raleigh County, West Virginia, USA
| Peabody Coal Co. (now Peabody Energy)
| coal
| dam failure after spillway pipe breach
| 87,000 cubic meters of water and slurry
| tailings flow 80 km downstream
|
| 1986, May
| Itabirito, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| Itaminos Comercio de Minerios
| ?
| dam wall burst
| 100,000 tonnes
| tailings flow 12 km downstream
|
| 1986
| Huangmeishan, China
| ?
| iron
| dam failure from seepage/slope instability
| ?
| 19 people killed
|
| 1985, Aug. 25
| Niujiaolong, Hunan, China
| Shizhuyuan Zinc Mine Company
| copper
| failure of upstream dam after debris inflow caused by heavy rainstorms
| 730,000 m3 of tailings
| tailings flow 4.2 km downstream, destroy many houses, 49 people killed
|
| 1985, July 19
| Stava, Trento, Italy
| Prealpi Mineraia
| fluorite
| dam failure, caused from insufficient safety margins and inadequate decant pipe construction
(view details)
| 200,000 m3
| tailings flow 4.2 km downstream at 90 km/h; 268 people killed, 62 buildings destroyed
(view details)
|
| 1985, Mar. 3
| Veta de Agua No.1, Chile
| ?
| copper
| dam wall failure, due to liquefaction during earthquake
| 280,000 m3
| tailings flow 5 km downstream
|
| 1985, Mar. 3
| Cerro Negro No.4, Chile
| Cia Minera Cerro Negro
| copper
| dam wall failure, due to liquefaction during earthquake
| 500,000 m3
| tailings flow 8 km downstream
|
| 1985
| Olinghouse, Wadsworth, Nevada, USA
| Olinghouse Mining Co.
| gold
| embankment collapse from saturation
| 25,000 m3
| tailings flow 1.5 km downstream
|
| 1982, Nov. 8
| Sipalay, Negros Occidental, Philippines
| Marinduque Mining and Industrial Corp.
| copper
| dam failure, due to slippage of foundations on clayey soils
| 28 million tonnes
| widespread inundation of agricultural land up to 1.5 m high
|
| 1981, Dec. 18
| Ages, Harlan County, Kentucky, USA
| Eastover Mining Co.
| coal
| dam failure after heavy rain
| 96,000 m3 coal refuse slurry
| the slurry wave traveled the Left Fork of Ages Creek 1.3 km downstream, 1 person was killed, 3 homes destroyed, 30 homes damaged, fish kill in Clover Fork of the Cumberland River
|
| 1981, Jan. 20
| Balka Chuficheva, Lebedinsky, Russia
| ?
| iron
| dam failure
| 3.5 million m3
| tailings travel distance 1.3 km
|
| 1980, Oct. 13
| Tyrone, New Mexico, USA
| Phelps Dodge
| copper
| dam wall breach, due to rapid increase in dam wall height, causing high internal pore pressure
| 2 million m3
| tailings flow 8 km downstream and inundate farmland
|
| 1979, July 16
| Church Rock, New Mexico, USA
| United Nuclear
| uranium
| dam wall breach, due to differential foundation settlement
| 370,000 m3 of radioactive water, 1,000 tonnes of contaminated sediment
| Contamination of Rio Puerco sediments up to 110 km downstream
|
| 1979 or earlier
| (unidentified), British Columbia, Canada
| ?
| ?
| piping in the sand beach of the tailings dam
| 40,000 m3 of ponded water
| considerable property damage
|
| 1978, Jan. 31
| Arcturus, Zimbabwe
| Corsyn Consolidated Mines
| gold
| slurry overflow after continuous rain over several days
| 30,000 tonnes
| 1 person killed, extensive siltation to waterway and adjoining rough pasture
|
| 1978, Jan. 14
| Mochikoshi No.1, Japan
| Mochikoshi Gold Mining Company
| gold
| dam failure, due to liquefaction during earthquake
| 80,000 m3
| 1 person killed, tailings flow 7-8 km downstream
|
| 1977, Feb. 1
| Homestake, Milan, New Mexico, USA
| Homestake Mining Company
| uranium
| dam failure, due to rupture of plugged slurry pipeline
| 30,000 m3
| no impacts outside the mine site
|
| 1976, Mar. 1
| Zlevoto, Yugoslavia
| ?
| lead, zinc
| dam failure, due to high phreatic surface and seepage breakout on the embankment face
| 300,000 m3
| tailings flow reached and polluted nearby river
|
| 1975, June
| Silverton, Colorado, USA
| ?
| (metal)
| dam failure
| 116,000 tonnes
| tailings flow slide polluted nearly 100 miles (160 km) of the Animas river and its tributaries; severe property damage; no injuries
|
| 1975, Apr.
| Madjarevo, Bulgaria
| ?
| lead, zinc, gold
| rising of tailings above design level caused overloading of the decant tower and collectors
| 250,000 m3
| ?
|
| 1975
| Mike Horse, Montana, USA
| ?
| lead, zinc
| dam failure after heavy rain
| 150,000 m3
| ?
|
| 1974, Nov. 11
| Bafokeng, South Africa
| ?
| platinum
| embankment failure by concentrated seepage and piping through cracks
| 3 million m3
| 12 people killed in a mine shaft inundated by the tailings; tailings flow 45 km downstream
|
| 1974, Jun. 1
| Deneen Mica, North Carolina, USA
| ?
| mica
| dam failure after heavy rain
| 38,000 m3
| tailings released to an adjacent river
|
| 1973
| (unidentified), Southwestern USA
| ?
| copper
| dam failure from increased pore pressure during construction of incremental raise
| 170,000 m3
| tailings traveled 25 km downstream
|
| 1972, Oct. 20
| Brunita, Cartagena, Spain
| SMM Peñaroya
| zinc, lead
| dam failure after heavy rain
| 70,000 m3
| the tailings affected a highway, a railway line, the electricity and telephone networks, and destroyed the cemetery of La Union; one person was killed
|
| 1972, Feb. 26
| Buffalo Creek, West Virginia, USA
| Pittston Coal
| coal
| collapse of tailings dam after heavy rain (view Citizens' Commission report )
| 500,000 m3
| the tailings traveled 27 km downstream, 125 people lost their lives, 500 homes were destroyed. Property and highway damage exceeded $65 million. (see details )
|
| 1971, Dec. 3
| Fort Meade, Florida, USA
| Cities Service Co.
| phosphate
| Clay pond dam failure, cause unknown
| 9 million m3 of clay water
| tailings traveled 120 km downstream with Peace River, large fish kill
|
| 1971, Oct. 30
| Certeju de Sus, Hunedoara County, Romania
| ?
| gold
| tailings dam failure
| 300,000 cubic metres of tailings
| tailings flooded a radius of around 4–5 km around the impoundment, they flowed towards the town of Certej, destroying several buildings, killing 89 and injuring 76 people
|
| 1970
| Mufulira, Zambia
| ?
| copper
| liquefaction of tailings, flowing into underground workings
| some 1 million tons
| 89 miners killed
|
| 1970
| Maggie Pie, United Kingdom
| ?
| china clay
| dam failure after raising the embankment and after heavy rain
| 15,000 m3
| tailings spilled 35 meters downstream
|
| 1969 or earlier
| Bilbao, Spain
| ?
| ?
| dam failure (liquefaction) after heavy rain
| 115,000 m3
| major downstream damage and loss of life
|
| 1968
| Hokkaido, Japan
| ?
| ?
| dam failure (liquefaction) during earthquake
| 90,000 m3
| tailings traveled 150 meters downstream
|
| 1967, Mar.
| Fort Meade, Florida, USA
| Mobil Chemical
| phosphate
| dam failure, no details available
| 250,000 m3 of phosphatic clay slimes, 1.8 million m3 of water
| spill reaches Peace River, fish kill reported
|
| 1967
| (unidentified), United Kingdom
| ?
| coal
| dam failure during regrading operations
| ?
| tailings flow covered an area of 4 hectares
|
| 1966
| (unidentified), East Texas, USA
| ?
| gypsum
| dam failure
| 76,000 - 130,000 m3 of gypsum
| flow slide traveled 300 meters; no fatalities
|
| 1966
| Derbyshire, United Kingdom
| ?
| coal
| dam failure from foundation failure
| 30,000 m3
| tailings traveled 100 meters downstream
|
| 1966, Oct. 21
| Aberfan, Wales, United Kingdom
| Merthyr Vale Colliery
| coal
| dam failure (liquefaction) from heavy rain
| 162,000 m3
| the tailings traveled 600 meters, 144 people were killed (view details , watch video )
|
| 1966, Oct. 9
| Geising/Erzgebirge, German Democratic Republic
| VEB Zinnerz
| tin
| collapse of stream deviation tunnel located under the Tiefenbachtal tailings dam
| 70,000 m3
| the iron oxide slurry reached the Müglitz river and then the Elbe river, coloring it red until Hamburg
|
| 1966, May 1
| Mir mine, Sgorigrad, Bulgaria
| ?
| lead, zinc, copper, silver, (uranium?)
| dam failure from rising pond level after heavy rains and/or failure of diversion channel
| 450,000 m3
| the tailings wave traveled 8 km to the city of Vratza and destroyed half of Sgorigrad village 1 km downstream, killing 488 people. (View details · historic photographs )
|
| 1965, Mar. 28
| Bellavista, Chile
| ?
| copper
| dam failure during earthquake
| 70,000 m3
| tailings traveled 800 meters downstream
|
| 1965, Mar. 28
| Cerro Negro No.3, Chile
| ?
| copper
| dam failure during earthquake
| 85,000 m3
| tailings traveled 5 km downstream
|
| 1965, Mar. 28
| El Cobre New Dam, Chile
| ?
| copper
| dam failure (liquefaction) during earthquake
| 350,000 m3
| tailings traveled 12 km downstream, destroyed the town of El Cobre and killed more than 200 people
|
| 1965, Mar. 28
| El Cobre Old Dam, Chile
| ?
| copper
| dam failure (liquefaction) during earthquake
| 1.9 million m3
|
| 1965, Mar. 28
| La Patagua New Dam, Chile
| ?
| copper
| dam failure (liquefaction) during earthquake
| 35,000 m3
| tailings traveled 5 km downstream
|
| 1965, Mar. 28
| Los Maquis, Chile
| ?
| copper
| dam failure (liquefaction) during earthquake
| 21,000 m3
| tailings traveled 5 km downstream
|
| 1965
| Tymawr, United Kingdom
| ?
| coal
| dam failure from overtopping
| ?
| tailings traveled 700 meters downstream, causing considerable damage
|
| 1963, Oct. 14
| El Descargador, Cartagena-La Unión, Murcia province, Spain
| Belleza group
| iron, zinc, lead, silver
| tailings dam failure due to static liquefaction
| 66,000 m3 of tailings and high acidic waters
| the release affected an area of 4 km2, different infrastructures (Cartagena-Cabo de Palos highway, the Cartagena-Los Blancos railroad), the watercourse of Beal wadis stream, and the El Mar Menor lagoon, an area of great ecological and patrimonial value in the Mediterranean Sea
|
| 1962, Sep. 26
| Huogudu, Gejiu, Yunnan, China
| Yunnan Tin Group Co.
| tin
| failure of upstream dam after three days of moderate rainfall
| 3.3 million m3 of tailings and 380,000 m3 of water
| tailings flowed 4.5 km downstream and destroyed 11 villages, 171 people were killed, 92 injured, 13,970 homeless
|
| 1962
| Almivirca, Peru
| Quiruvilca
| ?
| dam failure (liquefaction) during earthquake and after heavy rainfall
| ?
| damage to agriculture and infrastructure
|
| 1961
| Tymawr, United Kingdom
| ?
| coal
| dam failure, no details available
| ?
| tailings traveled 800 meters downstream
|