Man-Made Disasters

A series of explosions on August 12, 2015, in the Chinese port city of Tianjin killed 173 people and caused between $2.5 and $3.5 billion in insured losses, according to Swiss Re. It was the largest insured-loss event of the year and largest man-made loss event ever in Asia. On August 5, 2015, a team of Environmental Protection Agency contractors investigating leaks from an abandoned gold mine accidentally sent a spill of
three million gallons of toxic slurry into the Animas River, threatening communities in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and the Navajo Nation that draw water from the river and its tributaries. The contaminated sludge that accumulated from almost a century in the tunnels of the mine spilled at a rate of 740 gallons a minute into a creek that feeds the Animas River. The sludge contains lead, arsenic, mercury, copper, cadmium and other heavy metals. The ecological impact of the pollution is yet to be determined, although the San Juan has been designated as a critical habitat for two species of fish and tourism is important to the local economy. Drinking water remains available in the region because utilities closed their intake gates, but farmers and local residents no longer have safe water for crops, wells and livestock.
In 2015, 353 catastrophic events occurred, 198 natural catastrophes and 155 man-made disasters, according to Swiss Re. Natural catastrophes caused $28 billion in insured losses in 2015, while man-made disasters resulted in additional losses of about $9 billion. Major man-made catastrophes in 2015 included maritime, aviation and rail disasters, fires and explosions, and terrorism and social unrest. Explosions on August 12 in the Chinese port city of Tianjin comprised the largest man-made catastrophe in 2015. (The September 11 terrorist attack in the U.S. was the costliest man-made disaster in history, based on Swiss Re data going back to 1970. It caused $25.1 billion in insured losses (in 2015 dollars).

TRANSPORTATION ACCIDENTS

There were 59 catastrophic disasters attributed to transportation incidents in 2015 according to Swiss Re, including 31 maritime disasters, 16 aviation disasters and 12 rail disasters. These events resulted in 3,313 deaths worldwide. Aviation disasters caused $1 billion in insured losses, while maritime disasters caused another $1.7 billion in insured losses. Losses for rail disasters resulted in another $200 million in insured losses. See Swiss Re chart on Man-Made Disasters below for further information.