Grand Coulee Dam – 1933-1942
Building dams has always risky but few death tolls reach nearer than the massive destruction at the hydroelectric dam built over Columbia river in USwhen the structure fell over 81 people at the site.
Burma-Siam Railway, 1942-1943
This railway infamous as Death Railway built by Japanese to send weapons and supply to Burma, which accounted for the death of around 90,000 civilians and 12,400 allied POWs.
Panama Canal – 1880-1914
Panama canal built over several years was stopped mid-construction due to high death tolls and accounted for around 27500 deaths in all of its phases.
White Sea-Baltic Sea Canal – 1931-1933
This construction where a 227km long canal was being built between White Sea, Russia and Lake Onega, caused death of people in between 12000-25000 due to plague, malnutrition and torture.
United States Transcontinental Railroad – 1860’s
This railway project carried out in the 1860s was run by slaves whose wellbeing wasn’t of much concern. There were around 1500 workers who died but many say the actual numbers were hidden.
Hawks Nest Tunnel – 1927
This project to reroute New River in West Virginia caused a death toll of 500-1000 people due to silicosis because of prevalent mining operations carried out here.
Karakoram Highway – 1959-78
This highway which connects Islamabad in Pakistan to Kashgar in China is the highest international road which goes through turbulent pathways and has caused loss of 900 people due to landslides and accidents.
Aswan Dam – 1960-70
This project where rerouting of Nile River was in task caused the death of 550 workers out of 30,000 workers and caused loss of many archaeological sites and relocation of 100,000 people.
Hoover Dam – 1931-1935
This impressive dam structure took life of over 100 people due to cardiac arrest, heat strokes and other incidents at work.
Willow Island Disaster – 1978
There were 51 people who were killed in a construction disaster where a crane failed and fell on the tower of the Willow Island which crushed 51 workers in a single swoop.
