Top 14 Of The Worst Industrial Disasters In The World

Bhopal Gas Tragedy – India

On the night of December 2 and 3, 1984, a gas leak incident happened at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal. The event is considered one of the worst industrial disasters in the world. At least 3,500 people were killed with hundreds of thousands of residents traumatized.

Chernobyl – Ukraine

The Chernobyl disaster happened following a nuclear accident occurring in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, at the No.4 reactor, on Saturday, April 26, 1986. The plant was located near Pripyat city, in northern Ukraine. As an immediate result of the horrible incident, 31 people died. Meanwhile, according to the estimation of the UN, 50 deaths can be attributed directly to the event. It was predicted in 2005 that 4,000 more people might have died because of radiation exposure.

Halifax Explosion – Canada

The Halifax Explosion happened on the morning of 6 December 1917, in Halifax, Canada. The blast killed around 2,000 people while 9,000 others were injured.

1947 Centralia Mine Disaster – United States

On March 25, 1947, an explosion occurred at the Centralia No. 5 coal mine, near the Centralia town, killing 111 people.

Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster – Canada

In the early morning of July 6, 2013, a train carrying 72 crude oil tankers derailed when it approached the center of the Lac-Mégantic town in Quebec. The cars with the tankers exploded. The oil caught fire. And as a result, 47 people were killed. Many buildings as well as other infrastructure of the town were destroyed.

1989 Phillips Disaster – US

The disaster was a series of fire and explosions occurring on 23 October 23, 1989, at the Houston Chemical Complex facility of the Phillips Petroleum company near the Houston Ship Channel, Pasadena, Texas, the US.

Aberfan Disaster 1966 – Wales

On October 21, 1966, around 140,000 cubic yards of black slurry gushing down the hill above Aberfan. Anything it touched, it destroyed, killing 144 people. And most of them were children who were in their school classrooms.

Dhaka Garment Factory Collapse in 2013 – Bangladesh

Dhaka garment factory collapsed on April 24, 2013, in the Savar Upazila, Dhaka District, Bangladesh. Rana Plaza, an eight-story commercial building, fell down. At least 1,132 people were killed with more than 2,500 injured.

Seveso Disaster – Italy

The Seveso Disaster happened on July 10, 1976, around 12:30 pm, in a small chemical manufacturing factory that was around 20km north of Milan, Italy.

Benxihu Colliery Disaster – China

The disaster killed 1,549 people and is believed to be the world’s worst coal mining disaster. The event happened in the Honkeiko coal mine on April 26, 1942.

1986 Sandoz Chemical Spill – Switzerland

The Sandoz factory leak was the worst environmental disaster in Europe for a decade. The pollution had traveled along the length of the Rhine into the North Sea in just 10 days. It was estimated that the disaster killed half a million fish and wiped out some species completely.

1921 Oppau Explosion – Germany

The accident happened on September 21, 1921. At a BASF plant, Oppau, Around 4,500 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate fertilizer exploded, killing 500 to 600 people. About 2,000 were injured.

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster – Japan

The worst nuclear disaster of Japan happening on March 11, 2011, was caused by a huge earthquake and tsunami.

Three Mile Island Accident – US

In 1979, the US Three Mile Island nuclear power plant saw a cooling malfunction, leading to the melting of the part of the core in the Unit 2 reactor. The incident didn’t kill or injure anybody. However, scientific studies have linked the meltdown’s radiation to cancer cases emerging in the years after the incident.