Doñana disaster
The Doñana Disaster, also known as the Aznalcollar Disaster or Guadiamar Disaster (Spanish: Desastre de Aznalcóllar, Desastre del Guadiamar), was an industrial accident in Andalusia, southern Spain. On 25 April 1998, a holding dam burst at the Los Frailes mine, near Aznalcóllar, Seville, releasing 4–5 million cubic metres (3,200–4,100 acre⋅ft) of mine tailings. The acidic tailings, which contained dangerous levels of several heavy metals, quickly reached the nearby River Agrio, and then its parent river, the River Guadiamar, travelling about 40 kilometres (25 mi) along these waterways and covering an area of 4,600 hectares (11,000 acres) before they could be stopped. The Guadiamar is the main water source for the Doñana National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest national parks in Europe. The cleanup operation took three years, at an estimated cost of €240 million.
| Native name | Desastre de Aznalcóllar |
|---|---|
| English name | Aznalcóllar disaster |
| Date | 25 April 1998 |
| Time | 03:30 (CEST) |
| Location | Aznalcóllar, Seville, Spain |
| Coordinates | 37.492603°N 6.225202°W, |
| Type | Environmental disaster |
| Cause | Embankment failure |
| Outcome | Toxic spill |
| Casualties | |
| None | |
| 170 kg (370 lb) of crayfish and 37.4 t (36.8 long tons; 41.2 short tons) of fish | |
| Arrests | Several, including public employees |
The Los Frailes mine is owned by Boliden-Apirsa (formerly Andaluza de Piritas, S.A.), the Spanish subsidiary of Boliden, and produces about 125,000 t (123,000 long tons; 138,000 short tons) of zinc and 2.9 million troy ounces (200,000 lb; 90,000 kg) of silver per year.