Dam Collapses Shortly After Construction, Hundreds Killed

The collapse of the Gleno Dam in Bergamo remains one of the most haunting tragedies in the memory of the Italian people. The dam collapsed when it had only just been built, killing hundreds of people.

According to a paper by Lorenzo Migliorati of the Department of Management at the University of Bergamo, Italy, published in the Italian Sociological Review, the tragedy occurred on 1 December 1923. It took place at precisely 7.15 a.m. in the Province of Bergamo, in the Alpine region of northern Italy.

The dam had only recently been constructed. The reservoir had just been filled to capacity in October 1923. But no one could have imagined that the dam would suddenly collapse. As a result, around six million cubic metres of water that had been impounded spilled over.

The enormous flow of water and debris surged down towards the valley below (Val di Scalve). The water swept away the villages in its path, including Bueggio, Dezzo di Scalve, Angolo and as far as Darfo Boario Terme, with its force even extending to Lake Iseo and the lowland areas.

According to official records, around 356 people died out of a total affected population of roughly 10,000 residents. However, some estimates suggest the actual death toll reached around 500 people.

Physical losses from the disaster were estimated at around 7 million lire at the time, equivalent to approximately 15 million euros.

Although an unproven political hypothesis emerged regarding bomb sabotage by an ‘anarchist’ group, given the political situation under Benito Mussolini’s regime, the main cause is believed to have been negligence in construction planning.

Weak oversight by the authorised institutional bodies and other negligence are thought to have been the primary causes of the tragedy. The dam’s collapse became one of the historical records of construction disasters in Italy.