The Banqiao Dam Failure

China, 1975. Death toll: 231, 000.

Banqiao Dam was built to handle a flood said to occur “1 in 1000″ years however unluckily China was bombarded by a “1 in 2000″ year floor which drenched China with more than a whole years rainfall in just 24hrs. As a consequence of the terrible rainfall a total of 64 dams failed and the Banqiao Dam was one of the dams to fail. Where the Banqiao Dam failed a giant wave swept the land covering 6 miles and peaking at heights around 23 feet! This titanic wave traveled at around 30mph and decimated the surrounding area taking 231, 000 lives.