Dams rank among the most impressive examples of civil engineering. Built as a solid, reinforced structure that impounds water or restricts water flow, a dam provides water for human consumption, for irrigating arid and semiarid lands, or for use in industrial processes.
But while they are engineered to withstand millions of tons of hydrostatic pressure, history has recorded a number of disastrous dam failures and collapses. When a dam bursts, the results can be catastrophic, leading to sometimes thousands of lives lost and often irreparable structural and environmental damage.
In this gallery, we list some of the deadliest dam collapses and failures and their consequences, highlighting the worst-ever disaster and listing other examples in descending chronological order. Click on to continue reading.