Frías dam
The Frías Dam (Dique Frías, also Mendoza Dam) on the Frías River in Argentina , Mendoza Province , failed on January 4, 1970 .
The 15 m high dam was built in 1938–1940 west of the city of Mendoza and was a rubble dam. After heavy precipitation of 105 mm in one hour (at the peak 5 mm per minute) the dam was overflowed and collapsed. Hydraulic-operational factors played a role in the failure of the dam , which probably means that the locks did not work and could not be opened.
According to various sources, the resulting tidal wave resulted in 24, 25, 26, 42 or 100 deaths. 1,500 to 2,000 people were affected by the floods and more than 1,000 cars were destroyed. Property damage ranged from US $ 20 to 23 million.