The Stava catastrophic failure of 19th July 1985 (Italy): technical-scientific data and socioeconomic aspects

On July 19, 1985 at Stava near Tesero (Trento Region, northern Italy), two impoundments collapsed, causing the death of 268 people and the destruction of many buildings. The two adjacent basins were constructed for the decantation and storage of fine-grained waste material (tailings), which was pumped from a nearby fluorite mine. The consequences of the failure was a vast mudflow that found its way downstream along the Stava valley. The failure occurred as a result of the collapse of the upper basin, which overwhelmed the lower basin. The mudflow continued down the valley destroying many houses in the village of Stava, eventually reaching Tesero, where more property was destroyed or severely damaged. The disaster in the Stava valley was one of the most tragic of its kind. With its high toll of lives lost and over 133 million euros in damage, it was one of the worst industrial catastrophes anywhere in the world. This paper examines the technical errors, shortcomings, responsibilities and consequences of this disaster.