# La Ligua earthquake and El Cobre dam failure (28 March 1965)

URL: https://allhistories.com/chile/timeline/1965-la-ligua-earthquake-and-el-cobre-dam-failure
Location: La Ligua, Valparaíso
Themes: Disaster

An earthquake strikes central Chile near La Ligua, causing damage in Valparaíso and nearby provinces. Tailings dams at the El Cobre copper mine collapse, burying the mining town of El Cobre under a flow of mud and killing hundreds of people. The earthquake strikes on 28 March 1965. Damage extends to Santiago and the coastal towns.

## Why it matters
The disaster highlighted the deadly hazards of mining waste storage in a seismic country like Chile.

Ruler at the Time: [Eduardo Frei Montalva](https://allhistories.com/chile/rulers/eduardo-frei-montalva)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — 1965 La Ligua earthquake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_La_Ligua_earthquake)
- [Wikipedia — Presidential Republic (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Republic_(Chile))