Science

Famous Avalanches & Landslides in History

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Updated:3/7/2026
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Disaster
Location
Year
Casualties
Known For
Vajont Dam Landslide
Longarone, Italy1963~1,917 killedMassive landslide fell into reservoir, created 250m wave that overtopped dam, wiped out town below, dam itself survived intact, engineering hubris
Yungay Avalanche (Ancash Earthquake)
Yungay, Peru1970~25,000 killed in Yungay aloneEarthquake triggered ice-rock avalanche from Huascarán, buried entire city at 300 km/h, only 400 of 25,000 survived, worst avalanche death toll ever
White Friday Avalanches
Alps, Austria-Italy border (WWI)1916~10,000 soldiers killed in one dayBoth sides deliberately triggered avalanches as weapons during WWI, 'White Death' killed more than combat, bodies still emerging from glaciers
Wellington Avalanche
Wellington, Washington, USA191096 killedDeadliest avalanche in US history, swept two trains off a cliff, led to construction of longest railroad tunnel in Western Hemisphere
Huascarán Debris Avalanche
Ranrahirca, Peru1962~4,000 killedPredecessor to 1970 disaster, ice mass broke from Huascarán north peak, buried Ranrahirca, warnings about Yungay went unheeded for 8 years
Frank Slide
Frank, Alberta, Canada1903~90 killed82 million tonnes of limestone slid off Turtle Mountain in 100 seconds, buried part of mining town, rocks still visible covering the valley floor
Oso Mudslide
Oso, Washington, USA201443 killedMassive mudslide destroyed 49 homes, despite prior warnings the hillside was unstable, led to calls for better landslide mapping and regulation
Aberfan Disaster
Aberfan, Wales, UK1966144 killed (116 children)Coal slag heap collapsed onto a school, killed 116 children on last day before half-term, triggered national outrage, mining waste regulations reformed
Vargas Tragedy
Vargas State, Venezuela199910,000-30,000 killedWeeks of rain triggered catastrophic mudslides and flash floods, washed entire neighborhoods into the sea, worst natural disaster in Venezuelan history
Gansu Mudslide
Zhouqu County, Gansu, China2010~1,765 killedMassive mudslide after heavy rains destroyed half of Zhouqu town, dammed the Bailong River, deforestation blamed for increasing severity
Khait Landslide
Khait, Tajikistan1949~7,200 killedEarthquake-triggered landslide buried the town of Khait, Soviet government suppressed information for decades, one of the deadliest landslides ever
Elm Landslide
Elm, Glarus, Switzerland1881115 killedSlate quarrying destabilized mountain, entire community watched the slow-motion collapse, early scientific study of landslide mechanics
Armero Tragedy (Nevado del Ruiz)
Armero, Colombia1985~23,000 killedVolcanic eruption triggered lahars (volcanic mudslides) that buried the town, Omayra Sánchez's photo shocked the world, warnings were issued but ignored
Storegga Slides
Norwegian Sea (underwater)~6100 BCUnknown (prehistoric coastal populations)One of largest known landslides in history, caused massive tsunami that hit Scotland and Norway, may have separated Britain from Europe, submarine landslide
Attabad Lake Landslide
Hunza Valley, Pakistan201020 killed, 6,000+ displacedCreated a 21km-long lake that flooded the Karakoram Highway, lake still exists today, Hunza villages remain submerged, ongoing geological hazard

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