Photo by SILVERF78

3. Vajont Dam Disaster of 1963

Disastrous floods occur in locations around the world, and one of the most deadly floods in modern day occurred in Italy on October 9, 1963 when the Vajont Dam was overtopped by a massive wave of water. This dam was among the tallest in the world, standing 860 feet high. A landslide near Monte Toc caused a significant amount of debris to slide into the lake that the dam formed. When this debris hit the lake, it created a huge tsunami. The water from the tsunami washed over the dam on a truly epic scale. It is estimated that the wave from the tsunami was approximately 820 feet high. The tsunami wave created massive flooding in the valley below the dam. The force of the impact of the wave created a crater that was 200 feet deep and 260 feet wide. Several villages were completely destroyed. In this deadly event, approximately 1,910 people lost their lives.