Submission + - Fatal explosion at russian hydroelectric dam
stadium writes: An oil-filled transformer exploded at the Sayano-Shushenskaya power plant in Siberia, destroying three turbines and bringing down the ceiling of the turbine hall, which then violently flooded. It is unclear how many people were killed, but with 12 confirmed deaths and as many as 64 still missing (all presumed dead) this is a serious incident. The rather huge transformer had enough oil in it to produce a three-mile-long oilspill slowly moving downriver. BBC News reports with three seperate videos. The dam produces a quarter of the total energy of RusHydro (whos stock thus took a steep dive at London Stock Exchange) and also feeds the worlds largest aluminium smelter. The damages will take years to repair.
