This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2011) |
Date | February 26, 1972 |
---|---|
Location | Pittston Coal Company's coal slurry impoundment dam #3, located on a hillside in Logan County, West Virginia |
Cause | Coal Mine dam failure |
Casualties | |
125 killed 1,121 injured 4,000+ left homeless |
The Buffalo Creek flood was a disaster that occurred in Logan County, West Virginia, on February 26, 1972, when a coal slurry impoundment dam burst, causing significant loss of life and property damage.[1]
The impoundment dam, managed by Pittston Coal Company, had been declared "satisfactory" by a federal mine inspector four days earlier. In its legal filings, Pittston referred to the accident as "an Act of God."[2][3]