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Where there are machines and devices, there’s always a chance they may, one day, out of nowhere, just stop working. Sometimes, it’s just a mere nuisance, other times, if we're talking about big, major structures, the outcome may be catastrophic.

There’s even a whole corner of Reddit dedicated to the latter. The subreddit Catastrophic Failure is a place to share some unfortunate and peculiar scenarios of what happens when things like a chemical storage facility has a leak or when water lines freeze and burst in Texas during the record low temperatures.

So let’s scroll through the compilation below, which is honestly both frightening and a reminder that we all have to be more careful to make sure such accidents won't happen.

#1

April 28, 1988: The Roof Of An Aloha Airlines Jet Ripped Off In Mid-Air At 24,000 Feet

April 28, 1988: The Roof Of An Aloha Airlines Jet Ripped Off In Mid-Air At 24,000 Feet

The plane still managed to land safely. One Stewardess was sucked out of the plane. Her body was never found.

Sleeeepy_Hollow Report

#2

May 7, 2021: Tourist Trapped 100m High On Chinese Glass Bridge After Floor Panels Blow Out

May 7, 2021: Tourist Trapped 100m High On Chinese Glass Bridge After Floor Panels Blow Out

UrungusAmongUs Report

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Vicky Zar
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hope he was the only one on there.... I don't want to imagine the alternative.

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#3

The View Of The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse From Atop The Suspension Cabling, 1940

The View Of The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse From Atop The Suspension Cabling, 1940

MurdocBR Report

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Skara Brae
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Locals called the bridge "Galloping Gertie" Video of it galloping here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw

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In order to find out how one such catastrophe has changed the fashion industry forever, Bored Panda spoke with Ieva Zubavičiūtė, CEO of Fashion Bloc, consultant and investor in sustainable fashion. “On the 24th of April 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed killing 1,134 people and severely injuring thousands of garment factory workers.”

Ieva said that the catastrophe was a turning point “for many to find out that our clothes were being made in deadly environments and nobody wanted to be accountable for that.” Moreover, “The collapse of Rana Plaza, a multiple factory facility that manufactured clothing for brands such as Benetton, Mango, Primark, and dozens of others, was a wake-up call to the industry.”

#4

November 02, 2020: Train Breaks Through Barrier Onto Statue At The End Of The Line. Happened In The Middle Of The Night, No Injuries As Of Yet. Spijkenisse, The Netherlands

November 02, 2020: Train Breaks Through Barrier Onto Statue At The End Of The Line. Happened In The Middle Of The Night, No Injuries As Of Yet. Spijkenisse, The Netherlands

HeyRobin_ Report

#5

August 14, 2020: Chocolate Snows Down On Swiss Town Due To Factory Defect

August 14, 2020: Chocolate Snows Down On Swiss Town Due To Factory Defect

MsMegane Report

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#6

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

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

drewbdrewb Report

“Sadly, this was not the first or the last tragedy that could have been avoided if the required safety measures were taken or brands would have monitored their supply chains adequately,” Ieva added. Nevertheless, it helped raise public awareness and initiate campaigns demanding transparency. 

“One of the biggest impacts of the Rana Plaza tragedy is public awareness and the beginning of the Fashion Revolution movement. Every April, people are encouraged to demand transparency from the brands they wear by asking #whomademyclothes on social media.”

#8

2019: Cars Getting Transported On An Open Deck Catch On Fire After Salty Water Shorts Their Batteries

2019: Cars Getting Transported On An Open Deck Catch On Fire After Salty Water Shorts Their Batteries

procrastinator_diedz Report

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Devil's Advocate
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One car killed the lot. Something more than just saltwater on a battery caused this though, probably unshielded terminals and sodden bonnet insulation?

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#9

35 Years Ago, Space Shuttle Challenger Disintegrated And Killed All 7 Crew, Due To Failure Of A Joint In The Right Srb, Which Was Caused By Inability Of The Srb's O-Rings To Handle The Cold Temperatures At Launch

35 Years Ago, Space Shuttle Challenger Disintegrated And Killed All 7 Crew, Due To Failure Of A Joint In The Right Srb, Which Was Caused By Inability Of The Srb's O-Rings To Handle The Cold Temperatures At Launch

SwagBugatti Report

“In the same way, brands are asked to celebrate their makers. Fashion Revolution created a transparency index where they rate hundreds of major brands - from luxury houses such as Chanel to high-street labels such as Zara on the transparency of their supply chain,” Ieva explained. “Movements such as Fashion Revolution help the public make more informed decisions when buying clothes and prioritize transparency,” the fashion industry expert concluded.

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#10

Red Wine Cistern Catastrophically Ruptures At Sicilian Winery

Red Wine Cistern Catastrophically Ruptures At Sicilian Winery

Radec594 Report

#11

January 17, 2021: Final Seconds Of The Ukrainian Cargo Ship Before Breaks In Half And Sinks At Bartin Anchorage, Black Sea

January 17, 2021: Final Seconds Of The Ukrainian Cargo Ship Before Breaks In Half And Sinks At Bartin Anchorage, Black Sea

DARENDELl Report

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Nixxy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

An you imagine how terrifying it would be to be on that ship? Imagine the noise of metal cracking in half 😬

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#12

Boeing 777 Engine Failed At 13000 Feet. Landed Safely

Boeing 777 Engine Failed At 13000 Feet. Landed Safely

werdmouf Report

Created back in 2015, the subreddit features “videos, gifs, or aftermath photos of machinery, structures, or devices that have failed catastrophically during operation,” states its description. Today, it has a whopping 1.5M members, so it’s obvious that huge audiences find the content very entertaining.

#13

December 19, 2019: Drill Bit After Taking Out Some Of London's Internet

December 19, 2019: Drill Bit After Taking Out Some Of London's Internet

smorga Report

#14

$1,250,000 Worth Of Corn Spilled After Silo Collapse In New Carlisle, Ohio On Jan 28, 2018

$1,250,000 Worth Of Corn Spilled After Silo Collapse In New Carlisle, Ohio On Jan 28, 2018

GetReadyForTakeOff Report

#16

April 20, 2010: The Oil Rig Deep Water Horizon Suffered A Catastrophic Blowout

April 20, 2010: The Oil Rig Deep Water Horizon Suffered A Catastrophic Blowout

I_Spilt_my_milk Report

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Even though the group’s title “Catastrophic Failure” suggests that some very unsettling content is shared there, the subreddit’s rules are strict to make sure the posts don’t cross any lines. The group doesn’t allow submissions that depict people visibly being seriously injured: “you must apply the 'Visible Injuries' flair to your post and tag it 'NSFW.'”

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Moreover, “If a submission depicts a situation where people were killed, but those people are not directly visible, you must apply the 'Fatalities' flair to your post (e.g. the Hindenburg Disaster, or a plane crash).”

#17

In Pittsburgh. Sinkhole Eats Bus. No One Seriously Hurt

In Pittsburgh. Sinkhole Eats Bus. No One Seriously Hurt

reddit.com Report

#18

August 4, 2020: Storage Before The Blast, Beirut

August 4, 2020: Storage Before The Blast, Beirut

chillsnotskills90 Report

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Nadine
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The videos from the neighboring balconies still haunt me. So many lost lives and half a city destroyed in the name of greed and power for people who have zero alliance to their own country. Biggest blast in modern history, one year later, zero detained and zero accountabilities. Same poeple still run the country.

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#19

On May 20, 1976, During Structural Renovations, A Fire Burned Away The Montreal's Biosphère Transparent Acrylic Dome

On May 20, 1976, During Structural Renovations, A Fire Burned Away The Montreal's Biosphère Transparent Acrylic Dome

PrudentGogurt Report

#20

$300k Video Wall Came Down In Vegas

$300k Video Wall Came Down In Vegas

Lemeister Report

Speaking of catastrophes themselves, there have been far too many of them in the past and recent history. Since one of them, the Aloha Airlines flight 243 tragedy in the skies, over 30 years have already passed. The incident happened when cruising at 24,000 feet: an 18-foot section of the plane's roof suddenly ripped off. It caused an explosive decompression, creating a gaping hole in the fuselage and sucking a flight attendant out of the plane.

After the incident, a passenger reported that before boarding, she noticed a crack in the fuselage, but she did not report it prior to takeoff. Later, a National Transportation and Safety Board investigation suggested that the incident may have been caused by the plane's old age and poor maintenance. Moreover, Aloha Airlines short flights like this should have received check-ups twice as often as they had.

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#21

Markham, Ontario, Plywood Used To Repair Building Proves Insufficient For The Task

Markham, Ontario, Plywood Used To Repair Building Proves Insufficient For The Task

songinheart17 Report

#22

Tires From The United Flight That Declared Emergency During Takeoff. No Injuries

Tires From The United Flight That Declared Emergency During Takeoff. No Injuries

Nexuist Report

#23

Incorrectly Installed Part LED To Gas Leak. One Fatality And 3 Injured After Explosion When Workers Were Sent To Investigate

Incorrectly Installed Part LED To Gas Leak. One Fatality And 3 Injured After Explosion When Workers Were Sent To Investigate

ThoseWhoH2O Report

#24

Cable On A Window Washing Station Snaps And Hits A Power Line, Causing An Electrical Explosion. The Workers Were Saved By Their Emergency Harnesses

Cable On A Window Washing Station Snaps And Hits A Power Line, Causing An Electrical Explosion. The Workers Were Saved By Their Emergency Harnesses

to_the_tenth_power Report

Another peculiar incident happened a year ago at a Swiss chocolate factory where, due to internal malfunction, it sent out a plume of cocoa 'snow.' Fine particles dusted the ground around Lindt & Spruengli factory in town of Olten after the ventilation system stopped functioning properly.

The area where the malfunction happened was in charge of making roasted cocoa nibs. These nibs are fragments of crushed cocoa beans, which are the basis of chocolate. Due to the strong winds, the powder spread around the factory, covering it in fine cocoa dust.

#25

Container Ship ‘One Apus’ Arriving In Japan After Losing Over 1800 Containers Whilst Crossing The Pacific Bound For California

Container Ship ‘One Apus’ Arriving In Japan After Losing Over 1800 Containers Whilst Crossing The Pacific Bound For California

MV_MerchantMan Report

#26

Drone View Of Indonesia's Largest Oil Refinery Explosion In Indramayu

Drone View Of Indonesia's Largest Oil Refinery Explosion In Indramayu

maiyare Report

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Catherine Watts
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, and my not recycling one styrofoam container is what's killing the planet...

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#27

Arecibo Radio Telescope After The Instrument Platform Collapsed. (11/30/2020)

Arecibo Radio Telescope After The Instrument Platform Collapsed. (11/30/2020)

twixerthewolf Report

#28

Fireworks Store Bursts Into Flames At The Market In Rostov-On-Don, Russia, On The 6th Of December, 2020

Fireworks Store Bursts Into Flames At The Market In Rostov-On-Don, Russia, On The 6th Of December, 2020

KhitrykhNikita Report

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Arieke
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Something similar happened in the Netherlands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enschede_fireworks_disaster

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A year ago, a giant whale sculpture became a national hero in The Netherlands for stopping a train that overran the tracks. Luckily, the driver of the train in Rotterdam city escaped serious injury as the train crashed through barriers at the final station of De Akkers in Spijkenisse, near the Dutch port city of Rotterdam. The accident occurred on a raised platform, ten meters (30 feet) off the ground, where the carriage could have easily plummeted into the water below.

Maarten Struijs, the architect who designed the whale sculpture, expressed his astonishment and relief that the structure had played a life-saving role. “I'm surprised it's so strong," he told a Dutch news outlet. "If plastic has been standing for 20 years, you don't expect it to hold a metro carriage."

#29

July, 2014: Brand New Boeing 737 Fuselages Wrecked In A Train Derailment, Montana

July, 2014: Brand New Boeing 737 Fuselages Wrecked In A Train Derailment, Montana

JPDLD Report

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Ara
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Each year fuselages return from the Pacific Ocean to their spawning grounds. Sadly, many don’t survive.

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When it comes to the term “catastrophic failure” itself, it refers to a sudden and total failure from which recovery is impossible. Catastrophic failures often lead to cascading system failure. These failures are usually investigated with the methods of forensic engineering. It aims to isolate the cause or causes of failure.

#30

Failed Rocket Launch

Failed Rocket Launch

himynameisnotdave Report

Note: this post originally had 101 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.