Seconds From Disaster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Seconds From Disaster | |
|---|---|
 Seconds From Disaster title |
|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Created by | National Geographic |
| Developed by | Darlow Smithson Productions |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 45 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45-50 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | National Geographic Channel |
| Original run | July 6, 2004 – March 7, 2007 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Seismic Seconds |
| Followed by | Situation Critical |
Seconds From Disaster is a documentary television series that investigates certain man-made disasters and several natural disasters in modern history, and analyzes the causes and events that led up to each disaster.
The series features re-enactments, interviews, testimony, and CGI to deconstruct the sequence of events second-by-second to the audiences.
The series is broadcast on the National Geographic Channel. There have been a total of 45 episodes over three seasons. Afterwards, British production company Darlow Smithson replaced Seconds From Disaster with the provisionally titled Situation Critical. It premiered on National Geographic on June 12, 2007.
Contents |
[edit] Style
Seconds From Disaster is characterised by an emphasis on chronological sequencing (in accordance with the show's name), the usage of CGI technology and its blueprint-like CGI format. The show has little or no dialogue for the actors in the re-enactment, almost entirely dominated by the narrator.
The show starts with a chronological re-enactment of the disaster, which is always cut into several scenes displaying critical moments in the unfolding of the disaster with a clock appearing at the beginning of each scene. After the sequence of events, the show "winds back" the scenes to analyse the causes and events leading up to it. The series uses blueprint-formatted CGI in every episode to reveal the anatomy of the disaster and the structures involved but in episodes 7-19 in season 3, the blue formatting of the CGI is not used on the background and is replaced with a white background. The CGI is emphasized heavily throughout each episode, such as at the beginning, where the narrator often says "Advanced computer simulation will take us where no camera can go: into the heart of the disaster zone", and before the analysis of the disaster, where he says "cutting-edge simulation will reveal just what happened in those seconds from disaster".
The show concludes with the original disaster scenes being "rewound" and played again; the clock is replaced by a countdown timer and the conclusions reached from the analysis being put together with the sequence. Most often, the show finishes with a short moment of sentimentality (where those involved often speak of their emotions on the disaster) followed by the technological advances made to prevent similar disasters from happening again.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] By topic
|
[edit] By original broadcast date
 |
The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions.(December 2007) |
National Geographic Channel has broadcast many episodes under multiple titles. The title currently or most recently listed on the NGC Calendar is shown first. Alternate titles are shown in parentheses.
[edit] Season 1 (2004)
| # | Airdate | Title | Disaster | Date of disaster | Nature of Disaster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 6 | Crash of the Concorde
(Concorde) |
Air France Flight 4590 | 25 July 2000 | Tire blowout, fuel leak, wing fire |
| As a Concorde supersonic jet operating as Air France Flight 4590 takes off from Charles de Gaulle International Airport, it catches fire and crashes into a hotel in Gonesse, killing all 109 people on board and four in the hotel. | |||||
| 2 | July 13 | Tunnel Inferno | Mont Blanc Tunnel fire | 24 March 1999 | Cigarette sucked into engine induction snorkel, air filter fire |
| A truck carrying margarine catches fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel, which connects France and Italy under Mont Blanc. 38 people were killed in the inferno. | |||||
| 3 | July 20 | The Bomb in Oklahoma City
(Oklahoma City) |
Oklahoma City bombing | 19 April 1995 | Truck bomb |
| In retaliation against the U.S. government, Timothy McVeigh plants a bomb inside a Ryder truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Minutes later, it explodes, destroying the building and killing 168 people. | |||||
| 4 | July 27 | Fire on the Star
(Fire Onboard the Star) |
M/S Scandinavian Star Fire | 7 April 1990 | Arson |
| An arsonist sets a fire on deck 3 of the Frederikshavn, Denmark-bound M/S Scandinavian Star, loaded with passengers and cars at Oslo, Norway. 158 people on board die from smoke inhalation. | |||||
| 5 | August 3 | Derailment at Eschede
(High Speed Train Wreck) |
Eschede train disaster | 3 June 1998 | Metal fatigue |
| A wheel of the InterCity Express (ICE) No. 880 fails during travel in Eschede, Germany. The train derails, killing 101 people and injuring 88. | |||||
| 6 | August 10 | Wreck of the Sunset Limited | Big Bayou Canot train disaster | 22 September 1993 | Barge collision with bridge in fog, bent tracks |
| After one of a string of barges hit a support of a bridge in Big Bayou Canot, the Sunset Limited (an Amtrak train) derails as it crosses the bridge, resulting in its collapse and the deaths of 47 people. | |||||
| 7 | August 17 | Meltdown in Chernobyl | Chernobyl accident | 26 April 1986 | Faulty design, poor management |
| A meltdown at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant kills 57 people while the health of thousands more continue to be affected. | |||||
| 8 | August 24 | Inferno in Guadalajara
(Inferno at Guadalajara) |
Guadalajara gas explosions | 22 April 1992 | Metal-to-metal corrosion, gas leak into sewers |
| Days after residents of Guadalajara complained of a foul smell, a series of gasoline-fueled explosions in the sewers kills 206 people. | |||||
| 9 | August 31 | Fire on the Ski Slope | Kaprun disaster | 11 November 2000 | Hydraulic fuel leak on ventilation fan |
| A funicular train catches fire as it travels through a tunnel at the Kaprun Ski Resort, killing 155 people. Only 12 survived by walking downwards and out of the tunnel. | |||||
| 10 | October 5 | Explosion in the North Sea | Piper Alpha disaster | 6 July 1988 | LPG explosion, ruptured pipelines, human error |
| A series of explosions and fires on the Piper Alpha, an oil platform 110 miles off the coast of Scotland that had been converted to liquified petroleum gas (LPG) production, results in the deaths of 167 people and the collapse of the platform. | |||||
| 11 | October 12 | Flood at Stava Dam (Flood at Stava) | Collapse of Stava Dam | 19 July 1985 | Waste water overload in the top dam |
| Two dams above the village of Stava in northern Italy collapse, causing an ensuing mudslide and flood down the Stava River valley that kills 268 people in the village below. | |||||
| 12 | October 19 | Collision on the Runway | Tenerife disaster | 27 March 1977 | Fog, no use of radar, radio miscommunication |
| Two Boeing 747s collide and explode on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people. | |||||
| 13 | October 26 | Pentagon 9/11
(Pentagon 9-11) |
American Airlines Flight 77 | 11 September 2001 | Hijacking, low level building crash |
| As the World Trade Center in New York City burns after being hit by two hijacked aircraft, another hijacked Boeing 757-200 is deliberately flown into The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., killing all 64 people on board and 125 on the ground. | |||||
[edit] Season 2 (2005)
| # | Airdate | Title | Disaster | Date of disaster | Nature of Disaster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 28 | Space Shuttle Columbia
(Columbia's Last Flight) |
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster | 1 February 2003 | Hole punctured into thermal protection plates in the left wing caused from falling foam from external tank |
| As the space shuttle Columbia lifts off from the Kennedy Space Centre 16 days before re-entry, a piece of insulating foam breaks off the external fuel tank and damages the left wing of the shuttle. As it enters the Earth's atmosphere during the return trip, it disintegrates under the massive heat, killing all seven astronauts on board. | |||||
| 2 | July 5 | Alpine Tsunami | Galtür avalanche | 23 February 1999 | Powder avalanche |
| At the Austrian alpine village of Galtur, snow on the mountains surrounding the village build up. Due to the changing temperature during the month, a strong but brittle layer of ice forms under the snow. On the day of the disaster, the ice layer collapses and the building ice bank slips down the slope and forms a powder avalanche. Two minutes later, it hits Galtur and buries 57 people in the snow, killing 31 of them. | |||||
| 3 | July 12 | Motorway Plane Crash
(Freeway Plane Crash) |
British Midland Flight 092 | 8 January 1989 | Fan blade failure, warning systems malfunction, pilot error |
| British Midland Flight 092, a two-month-old Boeing 737-400, takes-off from Heathrow Airport in London, heading for Belfast. While en route the aircraft's left engine suffers a fan blade failure. Manufacturing errors in the engine failure warning systems cause the pilot to shut down the wrong engine and prepare for an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport which is just across the M1 motorway to Kegworth. On approach to the airport the damaged left engine fails completely and then catches fire. The crew tries to glide the aircraft to the runway but it bounces over the M1 and crashes on the embankment of the motorway, killing 47 people. | |||||
| 4 | July 26 | Mount St. Helens Eruption | 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens | 18 May 1980 | Lava bulge opened by earthquake, volcanic eruption, lahars, landslide |
| Mount St. Helens in the countryside of Washington erupts for the first time in 123 years. A building bulge on the north face of the volcano collapses after a small tremor. It starts a landslide that removes the plug on the volcano, starting the eruption. The eruption of Mt. St. Helens kills 57 people. | |||||
| 5 | August 16 | Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster
(Capsized in the North Sea) |
MS Herald of Free Enterprise | 6 March 1987 | Crew error |
| The British car ferry M/S Herald of Free Enterprise departs the port of Zeebrugge in Belgium. The crew have left the bow doors open and water splashes into the car deck. So much water pours in that the car ferry capsizes, drowning 193. | |||||
| 6 | August 30 | Kobe Earthquake
(Killer Quake) |
1995 earthquake in Kobe | 17 January 1995 | Earthquake |
| The Japanese city of Kobe is rocked by the Great Hanshin Earthquake which destroys most of its buildings. The driver of a bus and his passengers have a narrow escape when the earthquake causes a section in the elevated highway to fall, leaving the bus dangling over the edge. Many traditional houses collapse due to the heavy roofs and weak walls. Liquefaction occurs at the coastal and port areas of Kobe. Over 5,500 people die in the disaster. | |||||
| 7 | September 13 | Crash Landing at Sioux City
(Crash Landing in Sioux City) |
United Airlines Flight 232 | 19 July 1989 | Engine failure, loss of hydraulics, failed landing |
| United Airlines Flight 232, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, loses hydraulic pressure after the tail-mounted no.2 engine's fan blade splits and disintegrates. The damage to the aircraft is so severe that it can only turn right. The pilots try to land at Sioux City, Iowa. As the DC-10 descends towards the runway at 6 times the normal speed, it rolls right, causing it to cartwheel on the runway, break up into three main parts and explode into a fireball. 111 of the 285 people on board are killed in the emergency landing. | |||||
| 8 | September 20 | The Bali Bombing
(Disco Bombing) |
2002 Bali Bombing | 12 October 2002 | Suicide bomb, truck bomb and mobile-started bomb |
| Bombers in Bali attempt to detonate bombs in three different places. The first, a suicide bomb, is detonated in a small nightclub across the road from another nightclub, the Sari Club. A second bomb, a truck filled with explosives parked outside the Sari Club explodes 15 seconds after the first. 45 seconds later, a third mobile activated bomb detonates outside the United States Consulate. The total death toll is 202. | |||||
| 9 | September 27 | Hotel Collapse Singapore
(Hotel Collapse) |
Hotel New World disaster | 15 March 1986 | Construction error, column failure |
| Hotel New World, a 1-star budget hotel located in Singapore's Little India district, collapses due to growing microcracks in the failing columns. The cracks are caused by the additional weight put on the hotel. After a seven day rescue operation, 17 people are saved, but 33 perish. | |||||
| 10 | October 18 | TWA 800
(TWA Flight 800) (The Last Flight of TWA 800) |
Trans World Airlines Flight 800 | 17 July 1996 | Center fuel tank explosion probably caused by vaporised fuel ignited from a short circuit |
| TWA Flight 800 leaves New York for Paris 80 minutes late. Only 12 minutes into the flight, there are short circuits in electrical wires which cause ignition of vaporised jet fuel in the center fuel tank. The explosion causes the nose of the aircraft to break off. The plane continues to disintegrate as it plummets into the sea. | |||||
| 11 | November 1 | Paris Train Crash
(Runaway Train) |
Gare de Lyon train accident | 27 June 1988 | Brake failure caused by passenger pulling emergency brakes and crew error |
| A commuter train bound for Paris is forced to stop at Melun when a woman pulls the emergency brake. The crew reset the brake system so the train can resume its trip. However, they make a series of mistakes that results in the train being unable to brake and slow down. When the train arrives at the Gare de Lyon, it collides with another train parked at the station, killing 56 people. | |||||
| 12 | November 15 | The Hindenburg
(Hindenburg Airship) (Hindenburg Air Ship) |
Hindenburg disaster | 6 May 1937 | Hydrogen leak, static ignition |
| The zeppelin LZ-129 Hindenburg approaches the Lakehurst Naval Air Station for landing. Thunderstorms have added static electricity to the zeppelin's skin. It makes two sharp turns as it approaches the air field, something that the Hindenburg was not designed to do. A cable in one of the hydrogen cells snap and whiplashes the cell. When the landing ropes touch the ground, they are slowly soaked by the light rain falling, a static spark ignites the hydrogen leak. The zeppelin explodes into an inferno and crashes, killing 35 of the 97 people on board and 1 ground crew member. | |||||
| 13 | December 13 | Puerto Rico Gas Explosion | Humberto Vidal Explosion | 21 November 1996 | Propane gas leak |
| For days, a foul smell hangs around in the Humberto Vidal shoe store in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The smell is caused by leaking propane gas coming from an unmapped pipe in the sloping road near the shoe store. Then, an air conditioner with bad wiring is switched on, starting a spark that ignites the propane and the store explodes, claiming lives. | |||||
[edit] Season 3 (2006-2007)
| # | Airdate | Title | Disaster | Date of disaster | Nature of Disaster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 10 | Skywalk Collapse
(Hotel Skywalk) |
Hyatt Regency walkway collapse | July 17, 1981 | Design failure |
| 1,500 people gather for a dance in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City. A faulty design in the steel rods holding up the 2nd and 4th floor skywalks causes them to fail under the weight of the guests on the skywalks. They collapse and crush 114 people to death. This was the worst structural failure in the United States. | |||||
| 2 | March 28 | Amsterdam Air Crash
(Schiphol Plane Crash) (Plane Crash in the Suburbs) |
El Al Flight 1862 | October 4, 1992 | Metal fatigue in the fuse pin, engine collision |
| El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747-200F cargo plane, takes-off from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (Holland). Metal fatigue in the fuse pin holding up the inner engine on the right wing causes it to fail and force the engine to break off. The engine running at full power shot forward and knocked out the outer engine and damaged 30 ft. of the wing. The lift between the wings becomes unbalanced, but at its current speed, the plane is able to remain relatively level in the air. However, 8 minutes later, when the crew slow down the plane for landing, Flight 1862 banks greatly to the right and loses altitude. The aircraft crashes into a high rise apartment building, killing 43 people. | |||||
| 3 | April 18 | Russia's Nuclear Sub Nightmare
(Sinking of the Kursk) (The Kursk) |
Russian submarine Kursk explosion | 12 August 2000 | Hydrogen peroxide leak, chemical reaction, design failure, clumsiness of survivors |
| During a training mission, a leaking torpedo on board the Kursk leaks hydrogen peroxide. It reacts with rust in the submarine and blasts the front of the Kursk. Although the submarine had explosion proof walls, the explosion spread through the ventilation shafts. 135 seconds later, another explosion rocks the submarine. Then it sinks, killing all but 23 men on board. While they wait to be rescued, special boards that produce oxygen to breathe drop into the oily floor, starting a reaction that creates a fire, killing the survivors. | |||||
| 4 | May 19 | King's Cross Fire
(Kings Cross Fire) (London's Subway Inferno) |
King's Cross fire | November 18, 1987 | Dropped match, trench effect |
| A lighted match is dropped by a smoker down a gap in the wooden escalator at the King's Cross tube station. It ignites wax under the escalator. When someone notices the glowing fire under the escalator, the person stops the escalator. Later, a small flame rises on the steps. The full extent of the fire is hidden under the escalator. The entire area under it is on fire and the escalator aboves heats up. It gets so hot that is combusts and blasts a fireball up the escalator and kills 31 people in the ticket hall 20 metres away. The effect that happened is now called the trench effect. | |||||
| 5 | June 27 | US Embassy Bombings
(American Embassy Bombing) (Nairobi Bombing) |
1998 U.S. embassy bombings | August 7, 1998 | Truck bombs |
| In Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, truck bombs destroy the U.S. Embassy buildings killing 257 and injuring thousands. Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda are responsible for the attacks. | |||||
| 6 | July 11 | Florida Swamp Air Crash
(Everglades Plane Crash) (Florida Air Crash) |
ValuJet Flight 592 | May 11, 1996 | Activation of chemical oxygen generators, in-flight fire |
| ValuJet Flight 592, a DC-9 with 110 people on board is bound for Atlanta, Georgia from Miami, Florida. While it taxis for take-off, expired oxygen generators activate in the cargo hold. The oxygen ignites in the overheated hold. Shortly after take-off, the cargo fire is so large that the cabin is consumed in flames. The jet loses control and goes down in the Everglades. There are no survivors as the wreckage is entirely absorbed by the swamp. | |||||
| 7 | July 25 | Titanic
(Sinking of the Titanic) |
RMS Titanic | April 14, 1912 | Iceberg collision, rivet failure |
| The RMS Titanic, on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York with over 2,000 people on board strikes an iceberg. The rivets holding the hull together fail upon impact, allowing water to enter the first five compartments, one more than the ship can handle. Within 2 hours and 40 minutes, the ship sinks, taking with it 1,503 lives. | |||||
| 8 | August 15 | Aircraft Carrier Explosion | USS Forrestal fire | July 29, 1967 | Accidental firing of rocket into armed aircraft, resultant fire detonates various munitions |
| Fighter aircraft on the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal prepare to launch for a sortie over Vietnam. An electrical power surge together with an ineffective safety mechanism and altered weapon-arming procedures cause the accidental firing of a Zuni rocket. The rocket strikes another armed and fuelled aircraft, starting a fire that detonates various munitions. Firefighting efforts inadvertently spread the fire below deck. The disaster kills 132 personnel with a further 62 wounded and 2 missing, presumed dead. | |||||
| 9 | September 6 | Plane Crash in Queens
(New York Air Crash) |
American Airlines Flight 587 | November 12, 2001 | Pilot error, improper use of rudder |
| Two months since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the event remained fresh in the minds of Americans. At John F. Kennedy Airport, American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300-600R, leaves on a three hour flight to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Shortly after take-off, it encounters turbulence from a Japan Airlines Boeing B-747 that took off from the same runway 30 seconds earlier, causing it to violently tilt back and forth. The pilot repeatedly steps on the rudder back and forth to stabilize the plane, but his overuse of the rudder breaks the tail from the fuselage. Without the tail to support the aircraft, it spins out of control and crashes into Rockaway, Queens, killing all 260 people on board and 5 on the ground. | |||||
| 10 | September 13 | Munich Olympic Massacre
(Munich Olympics Massacre) (Olympic Hostage Crisis) |
Munich massacre | 5 September-6 September 1972 | Hostage taking, helicopter explosion from grenade, failed rescue attempt |
| During the Olympic Games in Munich, 11 Israeli athletes are held hostage by Palestinian terrorists. They demand the list of Palestine prisoners in exchange for the release of the atheltes. But at Fürstenfeldbruck Airport, a rescue attempt goes wrong and by 12:01 am on the next day, 17 people are dead. | |||||
| 11 | September 20 | Superstore Collapse
(Department Store Collapse) |
Sampoong Department Store collapse | June 29, 1995 | Design failure, bribery |
| Despite illegal operations and suspicion that the building was not safe, owners of the five-story Sampoong Department Store in Seoul, South Korea kept it open to customers. That afternoon, the entire store collapses, killing 501 people. The last survivor is found after 16 days. | |||||
| 12 | September 27 | Plane Crash in the Potomac
(Washington Air Crash) (Potomac) |
Air Florida Flight 90 | January 13, 1982 | Icy conditions, pilot error |
| Air Florida Flight 90 leaves Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC for Miami with 79 passengers and crew on board. The Boeing 737-200 is delayed for hours by bad conditions, allowing ice from the weather to build up and disrupt airflow onto the wings. Just seconds after getting airborne, the plane stalls in mid-air and crashes into the 4th Street Bridge. It bounces of and slams into the icy Potomac river. Five survivors are pulled out alive but 78 lose their lives; 4 of them were motorists on the bridge. | |||||
| 13 | October 25 | Asian Tsunami | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake | December 26, 2004 | Massive megathrust earthquake, ocean-wide tsunamis |
| The second largest earthquake in 40 years with a magnitude of 9.3 strikes the town of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Soon, it unleashes a tsunami which takes nearly 230,000 lives all along the coast of the Indian Ocean. | |||||
| 14 | November 15 | Comet Air Crash
(Crash of the Comet) |
BOAC Flight 781/South African Airways Flight 201 | BOAC 781: 10 January 1954/SAA 201: 8 April 1954 | Design failure, metal fatigue |
| One of the world's first passenger jets and the most luxurious of its kind, the de Havilland DH-106 Comet-1, takes off from Rome but 26 minutes into the flight, it explodes, killing 35. Then months later, another Comet crashes in the same way. The cause of both crashes was due to the aluminium skin. The constant pressurisation of the jet in flight flexed the thin skin, causing metal fatigue and mostly around the square windows.
Note: this episode mainly focuses on BOAC Flight 781. |
|||||
| 15 | November 29 | Chicago Air Crash
(Flight Engine Down) (Chicago Flight 191) |
American Airlines Flight 191 | May 25, 1979 | Faulty maintenance, metal fatigue, loss of hydraulic fluid for left wing slats |
| American Airlines Flight 191, a DC-10, takes-off from Chicago's O'Hare Airport. As the plane begins to lift, the engine breaks free from the left wing due to money and time-saving maintenance and swings over it, leaving a hole in the wing. The engine smashes onto the runway. 31 seconds after take-off, leaking hydraulic fluid from the hole causes the left wing slats to retract and lose lift for that wing. The plane tilts left and crashes into a trailer park, killing all on board plus two on the ground. | |||||
| 16 | November 6 | Texas Oil Explosion
(Texas Refinery Disaster) (Oil Fire in Texas) |
Texas BP Refinery explosion | March 23, 2005 | Human error |
| At the BP Oil Refinery in Texas City, a test on the distillation tower goes wrong. Liquid waste builds up in the tower and flows out through the blowout tower. A white ute left with its engine running ignites the fumes of the waste liquid. The explosion destroys a trailer placed dangerously close to the blowout tower. 15 workers die.
Note: This episode does not include a countdown timer, as seen in nearly all episodes. |
|||||
| 17 | January 2, 2007 | Tornado Outbreak | The Super Outbreak | 3 April-4 April 1974 | Outbreak of tornadoes from storm cell |
| The most violent outbreak of tornadoes in history, the Super Outbreak, releases 149 tornadoes in 13 American states and a province in Canada. Thousands of homes and over 350 people die in the period of the outbreak. 5,000 people are left homeless and injured.
Note: This episode only focuses on the 148 tornadoes that hit the USA, not the 149th one that hit Canada. |
|||||
| 18 | January 31, 2007 | Space Shuttle Explosion
(Space Shuttle Challenger) |
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster | 28 January 1986 | O-ring failure due to icy conditions, strong jetstream |
| Space shuttle Challenger takes-off from Cape Canaveral to start the STS-51-L mission. 73 seconds later, Challenger's boosters explode and send it into the ocean in pieces. All seven astronauts on board are killed. Icy conditions and a worn O-ring were the prime cause of the Challenger tragedy. | |||||
| 19 | March 7, 2007 | Eruption on Montserrat
(Montserrat) (When the Volcano Blew) |
1995-1997 eruption of Soufrière Hills | 18 July 1995-26 December 1997 | Volcanic eruption, lava dome collapse, pyroclastic flows |
| On the Caribbean island of Montserrat is the Soufrière Hills volcano. Nearby is Plymouth, the island's capital. In 1995, Soufrière Hills came to life and spewed ash over the island. Everyone is evacuated to the north of Montserrat. Two years on, the eruptions get worse and in 1997, Soufrière Hills erupts violently. Pyroclastic flows rage down the mountain and destroy Plymouth and Bramble Airport, killing 23 people. It generates a small tsunami. People crowd onto ships to escape their home, knowing it's been destroyed.
Note: This episode mainly focuses on the events of 25 July 1997. |
|||||
[edit] See also
- Seismic Seconds
- Mayday (Air Crash Investigation)
- Blueprint for Disaster
- Situation Critical
- Trapped
