We live in a post-industrial revolution age, and that means big industry is everywhere, even if they do a good job of hiding themselves sometimes. Cargo boats, trains, and trucks carry billions of things across the world, and use them to make even more things. But when you're doing so much, it's only a matter of time before something goes very wrong. And when things go wrong on an industrial level, you might be looking at a catastrophic failure.
Perhaps the biggest catastrophic failure on this list happened in April of 1986 when a helicopter crashed in USSR-controlled Ukraine. Of course, it infamously crashed into the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, causing one of the most ecologically impactful disasters in the history of mankind. To see a photo right before that disaster, and other images of catastrophes, take a scroll through this gallery of complete cataclysm.
1
Beirut storage before the blast.
2
Attempt to dislodge the stuck Evergreen cargo ship in the Suez canal, 2021.
3
December 2019 in Detroit, a large amount of chromium-6 leaked into the ground from a chemical storage facility that contained it improperly. It was only found out when it leaked onto a nearby highway.
4
Frozen water line bursts and destroys house in Texas.
5
Tourist trapped on 100m high Chinese glass bridge after floor panels blow out, May 7, 2021.
6
Red wine cistern catastrophically ruptures at Sicilian winery.
7
Container ship “One Apus” lost over 1800 containers while crossing the Pacific.
8
Out of control mega yacht crashes at St. Maarten, 2021.
9
USS Bonnehome Richard on fire in San Diego, 2020.
10
Broken oil pipeline spraying oil into the Amazon Rainforest.
11
Brand new Boeing 737 fuselages wrecked in a train derailment, Montana, July 2014.
12
Boeing 777 engine failure.
13
An Indianapolis Walmart Distribution Center, 3/16/2022.
14
Engineer warned of ‘major structural damage’ at Florida Condo Complex before collapse in 2018.
15
Altenburg Germany before and after severe flooding due to excessive rain in 2021.
16
Boiling hot girder exits production line and wraps around factory.
17
Dutch train breaks through barriers in 2020. Miraculously there were no injuries.
18
Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse, 1940.
19
Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans collapses while under construction.
20
$300k video wall falls over in Las Vegas.
21
Mi-8 helicopter becomes entangled in cables moments before crashing over the core of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, 1986.
