Merriespruit tailings dam disaster

- 28.13111111111126.844444444444Koordinaten: 28 ° 7 ' 52 " S, 26 ° 50' 40" E

The settling tank accident in Merriespruit happened on the evening of February 22, 1994 by 19 clock, as the dam of the settling tank in 4A Harmony Gold Mine broke and Merriespruit, a suburb of Virginia in the South African province of Free State, flooded. 17 people were killed.

In the late afternoon of that day there was a thunderstorm and it fell about 50 mm of rain in 30 minutes. Eyewitnesses saw how water flowed over the dam crest. After the dam broke, fins 600,000 m³ of mud 4 km. The nearest houses, which stood 300 m downstream of the dam, were hit by a 2.5 m high wave of water and mud.

In addition to the 17 dead, there was widespread destruction and environmental damage. 80 houses were destroyed.

In a subsequent trial of the owner, the operator, the workers were sentenced to heavy fines. The dam had been before the accident in a very bad condition, and the freeboard was not sufficient. 1995 new rules for settling tank has been adopted.