The Lake Peigneur Drilling Disaster 1980 | Plainly Difficult Documentary

Comments · 811

• PL

  @PlainlyDifficult · 3 years ago · pinned

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• A.

  @A.J.Furnari · 3 years ago

  The fact that nobody was killed in this size of an accident was nothing short of miraculous

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• FI

  @fishea · 3 years ago

  This is such a good story. The clash of mining titans, the reversed river, the boats disappearing as if Gob Bluth was involved, the insane physics - and nobody died! Only you, Mr. Difficult, could do this one justice. Thank you!!

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• BA

  @bartfoster1311 · 3 years ago

  Measure twice, drill once!

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• FL

  @fltmed · 3 years ago

  This is the second week in a row that John has covered two incidents that I am extremely familiar with. This incident, The Lake Peigneur sinkhole, occurred when I was a child. While several hundred miles away from where we lived, I remember the news stories of the incident. Last week&apos;s episode, The Queen Isabella Causeway Disaster, I was involved in the rescue and recovery operations as a critical care flight paramedic. <br><br>I &nbsp;never thought any of these incidents would see coverage like this. Once again, John never ceases to amaze and educate!

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• FU

  @Fusilier7 · 3 years ago

  I first learned about the Lake Peigneur disaster from the History channel, &quot;Modern Marvels: Engineering Disasters 5&quot;, this episode aired in 2003. It was wild seeing the disaster footage, as the lake drained down the bore hole, creating a giant whirlpool, and landslides as the earth itself was sucked down into the mine, this episode remains my primary source for Lake Peigneur.

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• DR

  @drakesavory2019 · 3 years ago (edited)

  Unlike most Plainly Difficults, everyone saw their respective problems and reacted appropriately and everyone was saved. &nbsp;Usually it&apos;s &quot;Wow! Things are going horribly wrong but I&apos;m sure we&apos;ll be OK.&quot;

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• MA

  @MattDakus · 3 years ago

  I can&apos;t imagine being a worker in a mine, seeing an oil drill on the lake above the mine I work in, and just shrugging my shoulders and being like &quot;they know what they&apos;re doing.&quot;<br><br>How did none of the miners raise a red flag?

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• RE

  @restitvtororbis5330 · 3 years ago

  &quot;... Shocked to see the rig completely disappear below the water, something that shouldn&apos;t even be possible as the lake, at its deepest point, was only 12 ft.&quot; the fact that this reads like a creepy pasta makes it all the more miraculous that, somehow, nobody actually died

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• EA

  @eaglescout1984 · 3 years ago

  A couple more interesting occurrences due to the disaster: <br><br>Once the lake had completely drained, the water coming in from the Delcambre canal (flowing backwards, as mentioned) became a waterfall, and to this day is the tallest known waterfall in Louisiana history.<br><br>After the the lake was partially refilled (days after the disaster started) the pressure holding the barges and other boats down in the hole was gone, and several popped back up to the surface (9 of the 11 barges that had disappeared ultimately resurfaced).

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• IR

  @ironhead2008 · 3 years ago

  Honestly, I think the fact no one was killed is a testament to both the training of the mine workers and the drillers. That&apos;s what makes the difference in these situations, and my fellow Louisianans did us proud that day.

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• MI

  @mikeholmstrom1899 · 3 years ago

  I&apos;m glad you did this. In 1981, a drill rig that was just starting operation in Texas hit a 12 inch pipeline shipping an ethane-propane mix. 4 workers were killed in the following fire. The drilling company failed to check property &amp; other records for any underground utilities there.

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