The Tragic Story of the Malpasset Dam Disaster

On December 2 of 1959, the Malpasset Dam in southern France collapsed, with the resulting floods leading to the deaths of more than 400 people. It was one of the worst disasters in France’s recent history. The dam, which was built on the Reyran River, a relatively short distance away from the Fréjus and Saint-Raphael area in the Var department. Over a 100 of the victims were children, with dozens of other children being left as orphans after losing their parents in the tragedy. The damage caused by the dam’s collapse came to an equivalent of $68 million, with hundreds of buildings and many hectares of land being obliterated.

The dam’s construction started in April of 1952. It was finished two years later, in 1954. This meant that the dam was only standing for five years in total before its collapse.

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The Remains Of The Malpasset Dam In The Var After Its Collapse Due To Torrential Rains On December 2, 1959 (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

The Malpasset Dam was of the arch type and had been formed for irrigation and drinking water purposes, providing the local region with a steady, much-needed water supply. Construction had its ups and downs due to worker strikes and a low budget. By the time it was finished, the dam had measured 222m across, 66m tall, and had a maximum thickness of 6.78m.

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