Criminal Proceedings of the Vajont dam disaster

The records on the Criminal Proceedings of the Vajont dam disaster (1963-1971, with acts from 1900) are an important example of complex documentation used to demonstrate human responsibility in the tragedy surrounding the landslide and flood on 9 October 1963. The disaster caused the destruction of residential areas and facilities along with the death of 1910 people. The significance of the Vajont event was confirmed in 2008 when the UN classified it as the first of ten disasters caused by human and scientific error in the last 50 years. The fonds is property of the State Archives of L'Aquila and is conserved temporarily in the State Archives of Belluno. It comprises documents of the criminal proceedings from 1963 to 1971: 250 folders of legal acts (including those before 1900), as well as various non-paper materials that are inseparable annexes to the proceedings (rock samples, a model, seismic recordings, negatives and photographic plates, film footage). The Vajont Fonds is widely regarded as a source of study of great international importance, as evidenced by the rich and varied cultural and scientific literature produced in recent decades.