2/10/2016 Chronology 

of major tailings dam failures

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Chronology of major tailings dam failures
(from 1960)

(last updated 8 Jan 2016)

Note: Due to limited availability of data, this compilation is in no way complete

Parent Type of
Date Location Ore type Release Impacts
company Incident

2015, Hpakant,
waste heap at least 113
Nov. Kachin state, ? jade ?
failure people killed
21 Myanmar
slurry wave
flooded town
of Bento
Rodrigues,
destroying 158
failure of two homes, at least
tailings dams 17 persons
holding a killed and 2
Germano mine, combined 62 reported
Bento missing; slurry
Rodrigues,
Samarco million m3 pollutes North
2015, Mineração S.A. (apparently, the
distrito de Gualaxo
Nov.
Mariana,
 (50% BHP iron Fundão dam 32 million m3 River, Carmel
5 Billiton  , 50% broke first,
Região River and Rio
Vale  ) releasing
Central, Minas Doce over 663
Gerais, Brazil tailings into the km, destroying
Santarém dam, 15 square
which failed kilometers of
then as well) land along the
rivers and
cutting
residents off
from potable
water supply
Herculano
2014, mine, Itabirito, Herculano two workers
tailings dam
Sep. Região Mineração Ltda iron ? killed and one
failure
10 Central, Minas missing
Gerais, Brazil

flow into the
420km­long
Bacanuchi
Buenavista del river
Southern
2014, Cobre mine, waterway, a
Aug. Cananea,
Copper Corp. 
copper
tailings dam 40,000 m3 of tributary of the
(Grupo México failure copper sulphate
7 Sonora, Sonora River,
)
Mexico directly
affecting
800,000
people
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2/10/2016 Chronology of major tailings dam failures

tailings
7.3 million m3 flowing into
Mount Polley tailings dam of tailings, 10.6 adjacent
2014, mine, near failure due to Polley Lake
Aug. Likely, British
Imperial Metals
copper, gold foundation million m3 of and, through
Corp.  water, and 6.5
4 Columbia, failure (view Hazeltine
Canada details) million m3 of Creek, into
interstitial water Quesnel Lake
(Mitchell Bay)
about 82,000
short tons
collapse of an [74,400 t] of
Dan River toxic coal ash ash flowing
old drainage
2014, Steam Station, through
Duke Energy  coal ash pipe under a 27­ and 27 million
Feb. 2 Eden, North gallons drainage pipe
acre ash waste
Carolina, USA into Dan River
pond [100,000 m3] of
contaminated
water
Zangezur
Copper
tailings
Molybdenum
2013, flowing into
Combine  , Cronimet copper, damage of
Nov. ? Norashenik
Kajaran, Mining AG  molybdenum tailings pipeline
15­19 River for
Syunik
several days
province,
Armenia
plume of
slurry
Obed spill of 670,000 containing fine
Mountain Coal coal particles,
2013, Mine, breach of wall m3 of coal clay and heavy
Sherritt wastewater and
Oct. northeast of coal in containment metals into the
International  90,000 tonnes
31 Hinton, pond Apetowun und
Alberta, of muddy Plate creeks
Canada sediment and eventually
the Athabasca
River
non­
consumption
water advisory
has been
issued for the
former
Town of South
2012, Gullbridge embankment
Brook (view
Dec. mine site,   copper dam failure,  
details   ­
17 Newfoundland, width 50 m
Newfoundland
Canada
and Labrador
Department of
Environment
and
Conservation)
nickel and zinc
concentrations
in nearby
Snow River
exceeded the
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Sotkamo, nickel, leak from hundreds of values that are

2012, Talvivaara gypsum pond thousands of harmful to
Kainuu (uranium by­
Nov. Mining through a cubic metres of organisms
province, product
4 Company Plc  "funnel­shaped contaminated tenfold or even
Finland planned)
hole" waste water a hundredfold,
uranium
concentrations
more than
tenfold (view
details)
tailings
damaged
residential
roads and
houses,
Mianyang forcing 272
Xichuan tailings dam
City, Songpan people to
2011, Minjiang damaged from
County, leave; tailings
Jul. Electrolytic manganese landslides ?
Sichuan were washed
21 Manganese caused from
Province, into the
Plant heavy rains
China Fujiang River,
leaving
200,000
people without
drinking water
supply
several towns
flooded, 10
Kolontár,
people killed,
Hungary tailings dam 700,000 cubic
2010, MAL Magyar approx. 120
(Aerial View: bauxite failure (view metres of
Oct. 4 Alumínium  people injured,
Google Maps details) caustic red mud
8 square
)
kilometres
flooded

contamination
of río Escalera
2010, 21,420 cubic
Huancavelica, Unidad Minera tailings dam and río
Jun. ? metres of
Peru Caudalosa Chica failure Opamayo 110
25 tailings
km
downstream

tailings dam
failure after
more than 1 eleven homes
heavy rain
million m3 of were carried
(see
2009, Karamken, Karamken water, 150,000 away by the
background
Aug. Magadan Minerals gold m3 of tailings, mudflow; at
info 2004  ,
29 region, Russia Processing Plant and 55,000 m3 least one
press
of dams person was
compilation
materials killed
2009  , update
2012   ­ SRIC)

The landslide
Huayuan set off by the
County, tailings dam tailings dam
2009, Xiangxi failure failure
May Autonomous ? manganese (capacity: ? destroyed a
14 Prefecture, 50,000 cubic home, killing
Hunan
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Province, metres) three and

China injuring four
people.

The ash slide
covered 400
acres [1.6
square
kilometres] as
deep as 6 feet
[1.83 metres].
The wave of
Release of 5.4 ash and mud
Kingston fossil
million cubic toppled power
2008, plant, Tennessee
retention wall yards [4.1 lines, covered
Dec. Harriman, Valley coal ash
failure million cubic Swan Pond
22 Tennessee, Authority 
metres] of ashy Road and
USA
slurry ruptured a gas
line. It
damaged 12
homes, and
one person had
to be rescued,
though no one
was seriously
hurt.

A mudslide
several metres
high buried a
market,
Taoshi, Linfen Collapse of a
several homes
City, Xiangfen waste­product
2008, Tashan mining and a three­
county, Shanxi iron reservoir at an ?
Sep. 8 company storey
province, illegal mine
building. At
China during rainfall
least 254
people are
dead and 35
injured.

the mud flow
left about 4000
residents of
the cities of
Miraí and
Muriaé in the
Zona da Mata
2007, Mineração Rio tailings dam 2 million m3 of homeless.
Miraí, Minas mud, containing Crops and
Jan. Pomba bauxite failure after
Gerais, Brazil water and clay pastures were
10 Cataguases Ltda heavy rain
("red mud") destroyed and
the water
supply was
compromised
in cities in the
states of Minas
Gerais and Rio
de Janeiro.

Release of
highly acidic

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tailings into
failure of Kafue river;
Konkola Copper tailings slurry high
Mines Plc pipeline from concentrations
2006, Nchanga,
(KCM)  Nchanga of copper,
Nov. Chingola, copper ?
(51% Vedanta tailings manganese,
6 Zambia
Resources plc leaching plant cobalt in river
) to Muntimpa water;
tailings dumps drinking water
supply of
downstream
communities
shut down

The landslide
buried about
40 rooms of
nine
households,
leaving 17
residents
missing. Five
injured people
near Miliang, were taken to
Zhen'an hospital. More
tailings dam
2006, County, Zhen'an County than 130 local
failure during
April Shangluo, Gold Mining gold ? residents have
sixth upraising
30 Shaanxi Co. Ltd. been
of dam
Province, evacuated.
China Toxic
potassium
cyanide was
released into
the Huashui
river,
contaminating
it approx. 5
km
downstream.

phosphogypsum
stack failure,
because the
company was
trying to
increase the
capacity of the
pond at a faster
rate than liquid poured
Bangs Lake,
normal, approx. 17 into adjacent
2005, Jackson Mississippi
according to million gallons marsh lands,
April County, Phosphates phosphate
Officials with of acidic liquid causing
14 Mississippi, Corp. 
the Mississippi (64,350 m3) vegetation to
USA
Department of die
Environmental
Quality (the
company has
blamed the spill
on unusually
heavy rainfall,
though)
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tailings dam
(100­metres
Pinchi Lake,
2004, long and 12­ 6,000 to 8,000 tailings spilled
British Teck Cominco
Nov. mercury metres high) m3 of rock, dirt into 5,500 ha
Columbia, Ltd. 
30 collapses during and waste water Pinchi Lake
Canada
reclamation
work
a dike at the top
of a 100­foot­
high gypsum
stack holding
150­million liquid spilled
gallons of 60 million into Archie
2004, Riverview, Cargill Crop polluted water gallons Creek that
phosphate
Sep. 5 Florida, USA Nutrition  broke after (227,000 m3) of leads to
waves driven by acidic liquid Hillsborough
Hurricane Bay
Frances bashed
the dike's
southwest
corner

The ash
flowed
through a
drainage canal
A ring dike, into a tributary
enclosing an to the
area of roughly Partizanskaya
1 km2 and River which
holding roughly approximately empties in to
2004, Partizansk,
20 million cubic 160,000 cubic Nahodka Bay
May Primorski Krai, Dalenergo coal ash
meters of coal in Primorski
22 Russia meters of ash
ash, broke. The Krai (east of
break left a hole Vladivostok).
roughly 50 For details
meter wide in download
the dam. Sept. 2004
report   (PDF)
by Paul
Robinson,
SRIC

release led to
decantation elevated
and dam failure nitrate
2004, evaporation after heavy rain 30,000 cubic concentrations
Malvési, Aude, Comurhex
March pond of in preceding metres of liquid of up to 170
France (Cogéma/Areva)
20 uranium year (view and slurries mg/L in the
conversion details) canal of
plant Tauran for
several weeks
tailings flowed
Cerro Negro, 20 kilometers
2003, Petorca prov., Cia Minera copper tailings dam 50,000 tonnes downstream
Oct. 3 Quinta region, Cerro Negro failure of tailings the río La
Chile Ligua

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Aug. 27: some
tailings spilled
into
Mapanuepe
Lake and
overflow and eventually into
2002, spillway failure the Sto. Tomas
Aug. San Marcelino, Dizon Copper of two River
27 / Zambales, Silver Mines,   abandoned ?  
Sep. 11: low
Sep. Philippines Inc. tailings dams lying villages
11 after heavy rain flooded with
(view details) mine waste;
250 families
evacuated;
nobody
reported hurt
so far

tailings wave
traveled at
Sebastião das
least 6 km,
2001, Águas Claras, mine waste dam
Mineração Rio killing at least
Jun. Nova Lima iron failure (view ?
Verde Ltda two mine
22 district, Minas details)
workers, three
Gerais, Brazil
more workers
are missing
at least 15
Nandan
people killed,
2000, county,
tailings dam 100 missing;
Oct. Guangxi ? ? ?
failure more than 100
18 province,
houses
China
destroyed
About 75
miles (120
km) of rivers
and streams
turned an
irridescent
Martin County
tailings dam black, causing
Coal 250 million
failure from a fish kill
Corporation gallons
Inez, Martin collapse of an along the Tug
2000, (100% A.T. (950,000 m3) of
County, underground Fork of the
Oct. Massey Coal coal coal waste
Kentucky, mine beneath Big Sandy
11 Company, Inc. slurry released
USA the slurry River and
, Richmond, into local
impoundment some of its
VA (100% streams
(view details) tributaries.
Fluor Corp.  ))
Towns along
the Tug were
forced to turn
off their
drinking water
intakes.
release of 2.5
million m3 of
liquid into an
adjacent settling
tailings dam pond,
failure from subsequent
Aitik mine,
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2000, Gällivare, Boliden Ltd.  copper insufficient release of 1.5  

Sep. 8 Sweden perviousness of million m3 of
filter drain water (carrying
(view details) some residual
slurry) from the
settling pond
into the
environment

contamination
of the Vaser
stream,
22,000 t of tributary of the
2000, tailings dam
Borsa, heavy­metal Tisza River.
Mar. Remin S.A.   failure after
Romania contaminated View
10 heavy rain
tailings Romanian
Govt. report 
· UNEP report
 (527k PDF)

contamination
of the
Somes/Szamos
tailings dam stream,
Aurul S.A.
crest failure tributary of the
2000,
(Esmeralda gold
after overflow 100,000 m3 of Tisza River,
Baia Mare, Exploration  , recovery cyanide­
Jan. caused from killing tonnes
Romania Australia (50%), from old contaminated
30 heavy rain and of fish and
Remin S.A. tailings liquid
melting snow poisoning the
(44.8%))
(view details) drinking water
of more than 2
million people
in Hungary

17 homes
1999, Placer, Surigao tailings spill 700,000 tonnes buried, 51
Manila Mining
Apr. del Norte, gold from damaged of cyanide hectares of
Corp. (MMC)
26 Philippines concrete pipe tailings riceland
swamped

1998, dam failure 50,000 m3 of

Fertiberia  ,
Dec. Huelva, Spain phosphate during storm acidic and toxic  
Foret
31 (view details) water

thousands of
dam failure
1998, Los Frailes, zinc, lead, 4­5 million m3 hectares of
Boliden Ltd.  , from foundation
Apr. Aznalcóllar, copper, of toxic water farmland
Canada failure (view
25 Spain silver and slurry covered with
details)
slurry

Mulberry
Mulberry 200,000 m3 of biota in the
1997, Phosphate, phosphogypsum
Phosphates, Inc. phosphate phosphogypsum Alafia River
Dec. 7 Polk County, stack failure
process water eliminated
Florida, USA

1997, 230,000 m3 of tailings flow

Oct. Pinto Valley, tailings dam tailings and covers 16
BHP Copper  copper
22 Arizona, USA slope failure  mine rock hectares

liquefaction flow runout of
failure of about 600
1996, more than
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Nov. Amatista, ? ? upstream­type 300,000 m3 of meters, spill

12 Nazca, Peru tailings dam tailings into river,
during croplands
earthquake contaminated

300 km of
1996, Comsur (62%),
El Porco, zinc, lead, Pilcomayo
Aug. Rio Tinto  dam failure 400,000 tonnes
Bolivia silver river
29 (33%)
contaminated

Evacuation of
1200 residents,
Marcopper, Loss of tailings 18 km of river
1996, Placer Dome
Marinduque from storage pit channel filled
Mar. Inc.  , Canada copper 1.6 million m3
Island, through old with tailings,
24 (40%)
Philippines drainage tunnel US$ 80
million
damage

Dam movement
of dam
containing 3
1995, Golden Cross, Coeur d'Alène
gold million tonnes Nil (so far) Nil (so far)
Dec. New Zealand , Idaho, USA
of tailings
(continuing)
(view details  )
Placer, Surigao 12 people
1995, Manila Mining Dam foundation
del Norte, gold 50,000 m3 killed, coastal
Sep. 2 Corp. failure
Philippines pollution
tailings dam
80 km of
Cambior Inc.  , failure from
Essequibo
Canada (65%), internal dam
1995, 4.2 million m3 River declared
Golden Star erosion
Aug. Omai, Guyana gold of cyanide environmental
Resources Inc., (preliminary
19 slurry disaster zone
Colorado, USA report on
(view details
(30%) technical
)
causation)

spill into
Hopewell Nearly 1.9 nearby
1994, Mine, million m3 of wetlands and
Nov. Hillsborough IMC­Agrico  phosphate dam failure water from a the Alafia
19 County, clay settling River,
Florida, USA pond Keysville
flooded

majority of
spill contained
on adjacent
Payne Creek 6.8 million m3 mining area;
1994, Mine, Polk of water from a 500,000 m3
IMC­Agrico  phosphate dam failure
Oct. 2 County, clay settling released into
Florida, USA pond Hickey
Branch, a
tributary of
Payne Creek

spill into
1994, Fort Meade, 76,000 m3 of Peace River
Cargill  phosphate ?
Oct. Florida, USA water near Fort
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Meade
Sinkhole opens Release of
1994, IMC­Agrico, in gympsum and
IMC­Agrico  phosphate ?
June Florida, USA phosphogypsum water into
stake groundwater

tailings
traveled 4 km
downstream,
Dam wall
1994, Harmony, 17 people
Harmony Gold breach
Feb. Merriespruit, gold 600,000 m3 killed,
Mines following heavy
22 South Africa extensive
rain
damage to
residential
township

release of up to
leakage of
1994, Olympic Dam, 5 million m3 of
copper, tailings dam
Feb. Roxby Downs, WMC Ltd. contaminated ?
uranium during 2 years
14 South Australia water into
or more
subsoil

Fish killed
when acidic
1993, Gibsonton,
Cargill  phosphate ? ? water spilled
Oct. Florida, USA
into Archie
Creek

dam failure
Marsa Mining
1993 Marsa, Peru gold from ? 6 people killed
Corp.
overtopping

Maritsa Istok
1992, dam failure
1, near Stara
Mar. ? ash/cinder from inundation 500,000 m3 ?
Zagora,
1 of the beach
Bulgaria

No.2 tailings Collapse of dam
1992, pond, Padcal, Philex Mining wall 80 million
copper ?
Jan. Luzon, Corp. (foundation tonnes
Philippines failure)
dam failure
(liquefaction in
Sullivan mine, the slided
old tailings
1991, Kimberley, material was
foundation
Aug. British Cominco Ltd  lead/zinc 75,000 m3 contained in
during
23 Columbia, an adjacent
construction of
Canada pond
incremental
raise)

Stancil, dam failure tailings

1989,
Perryville, sand and during capping flowside
Aug. ? 38,000 m3
Maryland, gravel of the tailings covered 5000
25
USA after heavy rain m2

breach of dam
Jinduicheng, wall (spillway
1988, Shaanxi blockage approx. 20
Apr. province, ? molybdenum caused pond 700,000 m3
people killed
30 China level to rise too
high)
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dam wall failure
Tennessee
from internal
1988, Consolidated Tennessee
erosion, caused
Jan. No.1, Grays Consolidated coal 250,000 m3 ?
from failure of
19 Creek, TN, Coal Co.
an abandoned
USA
outlet pipe

Thousands of
Riverview, Gardinier (now fish killed at
1988 phosphate ? acidic spill
Florida, USA Cargill  ) mouth of
Alafia River

Montcoal Peabody Coal
1987, dam failure 87,000 cubic tailings flow
No.7, Raleigh Co. (now
April coal after spillway meters of water 80 km
County, West Peabody
8 pipe breach and slurry downstream
Virginia, USA Energy )

Itaminos tailings flow
1986, Itabirito, Minas
Comercio de ? dam wall burst 100,000 tonnes 12 km
May Gerais, Brazil
Minerios downstream

dam failure
Huangmeishan, from 19 people
1986 ? iron ?
China seepage/slope killed
instability

dam failure, tailings flow
caused from 4.2 km
insufficient downstream at
1985,
Stava, Trento, safety margins 90 km/h; 268
July Prealpi Mineraia fluorite 200,000 m3
Italy and inadequate people killed,
19
decant pipe 62 buildings
construction destroyed
(view details) (view details)
dam wall
1985, failure, due to tailings flow 5
Veta de Agua
Mar. ? copper liquefaction 280,000 m3 km
No.1, Chile
3 during downstream
earthquake
dam wall
1985, failure, due to tailings flow 8
Cerro Negro Cia Minera
Mar. copper liquefaction 500,000 m3 km
No.4, Chile Cerro Negro
3 during downstream
earthquake
Olinghouse, embankment tailings flow
Olinghouse
1985 Wadsworth, gold collapse from 25,000 m3 1.5 km
Mining Co.
Nevada, USA saturation downstream
widespread
Sipalay, dam failure, due
1982, Marinduque inundation of
Negros to slippage of 28 million
Nov. Mining and copper agricultural
Occidental, foundations on tonnes
8 Industrial Corp. land up to 1.5
Philippines clayey soils
m high
the slurry
wave traveled
the Left Fork
of Ages Creek

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1.3 km
Ages, Harlan downstream, 1
1981,
County, Eastover Mining dam failure 96,000 m3 coal person was
Dec. coal
Kentucky, Co. after heavy rain refuse slurry killed, 3
18
USA homes
destroyed, 30
homes
damaged, fish
kill in Clover
Fork of the
Cumberland
River
Balka
1981, tailings travel
Chuficheva,
Jan. ? iron dam failure 3.5 million m3 distance 1.3
Lebedinsky,
20 km
Russia
dam wall
breach, due to tailings flow 8
1980, rapid increase km
Tyrone, New
Oct. Phelps Dodge  copper in dam wall 2 million m3 downstream
Mexico, USA
13 height, causing and inundate
high internal farmland
pore pressure
370,000 m3 of
dam wall Contamination
radioactive
1979, Church Rock, breach, due to of Rio Puerco
water, 1,000
July New Mexico, United Nuclear uranium differential sediments up
tonnes of
16 USA foundation to 110 km
contaminated
settlement downstream
sediment

(unidentified),
1979 piping in the considerable
British 40,000 m3 of
or ? ? sand beach of property
Columbia, ponded water
earlier the tailings dam damage
Canada

1 person
killed,
slurry overflow
1978, Corsyn extensive
Arcturus, after continuous
Jan. Consolidated gold 30,000 tonnes siltation to
Zimbabwe rain over
31 Mines waterway and
several days
adjoining
rough pasture
dam failure, due 1 person
1978, Mochikoshi
Mochikoshi to liquefaction killed, tailings
Jan. Gold Mining gold 80,000 m3
No.1, Japan during flow 7­8 km
14 Company
earthquake downstream
dam failure, due
Homestake, Homestake no impacts
1977, to rupture of
Milan, New Mining uranium 30,000 m3 outside the
Feb. 1 plugged slurry
Mexico, USA Company  mine site
pipeline
dam failure, due
to high phreatic
surface and tailings flow
1976,
Zlevoto, seepage reached and
Mar. ? lead, zinc 300,000 m3
Yugoslavia breakout on the polluted
1
embankment nearby river

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face
tailings flow
slide polluted
nearly 100
miles (160
km) of the
1975, Silverton, Animas river
? (metal) dam failure 116,000 tonnes
June Colorado, USA and its
tributaries;
severe
property
damage; no
injuries
rising of tailings
above design
level caused
1975, Madjarevo, lead, zinc,
? overloading of 250,000 m3 ?
Apr. Bulgaria gold
the decant
tower and
collectors

Mike Horse, dam failure
1975 ? lead, zinc 150,000 m3 ?
Montana, USA after heavy rain

12 people
embankment killed in a
failure by mine shaft
1974,
Bafokeng, concentrated inundated by
Nov. ? platinum 3 million m3
South Africa seepage and the tailings;
11
piping through tailings flow
cracks 45 km
downstream

Deneen Mica, tailings
1974, dam failure
North ? mica 38,000 m3 released to an
Jun. 1 after heavy rain
Carolina, USA adjacent river
dam failure
from increased
(unidentified), pore pressure tailings
1973 Southwestern ? copper during 170,000 m3 traveled 25 km
USA construction of downstream
incremental
raise

the tailings
traveled 27 km
downstream,
125 people
collapse of lost their lives,
tailings dam 500 homes
1972, Buffalo Creek, after heavy rain were
Feb. West Virginia, Pittston Coal  coal (view Citizens' 500,000 m3 destroyed.
26 USA Commission Property and
report  ) highway
damage
exceeded
$65 million.
(see details  )

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tailings
traveled 120
Clay pond dam km
1971, Fort Meade, Cities Service 9 million m3 of
phosphate failure, cause downstream
Dec. 3 Florida, USA Co. clay water
unknown with Peace
River, large
fish kill

liquefaction of
tailings, flowing
Mufulira, some 1 million 89 miners
1970 ? copper into
Zambia tons killed
underground
workings
dam failure
Maggie Pie, after raising the tailings spilled
1970 United ? china clay embankment 15,000 m3 35 meters
Kingdom and after heavy downstream
rain

major
1969 dam failure
downstream
or Bilbao, Spain ? ? (liquefaction) 115,000 m3
damage and
earlier after heavy rain
loss of life

dam failure tailings
Hokkaido, (liquefaction) traveled 150
1968 ? ? 90,000 m3
Japan during meters
earthquake downstream

250,000 m3 of
spill reaches
phosphatic clay
1967, Fort Meade, dam failure, no Peace River,
Mobil Chemical phosphate slimes, 1.8
Mar. Florida, USA details available fish kill
million m3 of
reported
water
dam failure tailings flow
(unidentified),
during covered an
1967 United ? coal ?
regrading area of 4
Kingdom
operations hectares
flow slide
(unidentified), 76,000 ­
traveled 300
1966 East Texas, ? gypsum dam failure 130,000 m3 of
meters; no
USA gypsum
fatalities
tailings
Derbyshire, dam failure
traveled 100
1966 United ? coal from foundation 30,000 m3
meters
Kingdom failure
downstream
the tailings
traveled 600
1966, Aberfan, dam failure meters, 144
Oct. Wales, United Merthyr Vale (liquefaction) people were
coal 162,000 m3 killed (view
21 Kingdom Colliery  from heavy rain
details  ,
watch video
)

the tailings
wave traveled

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8 km to the
dam failure city of Vratza
from rising and destroyed
lead, zinc, half of
Mir mine, pond level after
1966, copper, Sgorigrad
Sgorigrad, ? heavy rains 450,000 m3
May 1 silver, village 1 km
Bulgaria and/or failure of
(uranium?) downstream,
diversion
channel killing 488
people. (View
details   ·
historic
photographs
)
tailings
1965, dam failure
Bellavista, traveled 800
Mar. ? copper during 70,000 m3
Chile meters
28 earthquake
downstream

1965, dam failure tailings

Cerro Negro
Mar. ? copper during 85,000 m3 traveled 5 km
No.3, Chile
28 earthquake downstream

dam failure tailings
1965,
El Cobre New (liquefaction) traveled 12 km
Mar. ? copper 350,000 m3 downstream,
Dam, Chile during
28
earthquake destroyed the
town of El
dam failure Cobre and
1965,
El Cobre Old (liquefaction) killed more
Mar. ? copper 1.9 million m3
Dam, Chile during than 200
28
earthquake people

dam failure
1965, La Patagua tailings
(liquefaction)
Mar. New Dam, ? copper 35,000 m3 traveled 5 km
during
28 Chile downstream
earthquake

dam failure
1965, tailings
Los Maquis, (liquefaction)
Mar. ? copper 21,000 m3 traveled 5 km
Chile during
28 downstream
earthquake

tailings
traveled 700
Tymawr, dam failure meters
1965 United ? coal from ? downstream,
Kingdom overtopping causing
considerable
damage
dam failure
(liquefaction)
(unidentified), during
1962 ? ? earthquake and ? ?
Peru
after heavy
rainfall

tailings
Tymawr,
dam failure, no traveled 800
1961 United ? coal ?
details available meters
Kingdom
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downstream
tonnes = metric tonnes

Sources:

Tailings Dam Incidents, U.S. Committee on Large Dams ­ USCOLD, Denver, Colorado, ISBN 1­884575­
03­X, 1994, 82 pages [compilation and analysis of 185 tailings dam incidents]

Environmental and Safety Incidents concerning Tailings Dams at Mines: Results of a Survey for the
years 1980­1996 by Mining Journal Research Services; a report prepared for United Nations Environment
Programme, Industry and Environment  . Paris, 1996, 129 pages [compilation of 37 tailings dam incidents]

Tailings Dams ­ Risk of Dangerous Occurrences, Lessons learnt from practical experiences, Bulletin
121, Published by United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics (DTIE) and International Commission on Large Dams   (ICOLD), Paris 2001, 144 p.
[compilation of 221 tailings dam incidents mainly from the above two publications, and examples of
effective remedial measures]

and many others.

> See also: Chronology of uranium tailings dam failures

A compilation comprising many more tailings dam failures can be found here:
> Download: The Risk, Public Liability, & Economics Of Tailings Storage Facility Failures  , by Lindsay
Newland Bowker and David M. Chambers, July 21, 2015 (748kB PDF)

HOME   WISE Uranium Project   >   Tailings Dam Safety   >

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