Buffalo Creek flood

Buffalo Creek flood
DateFebruary 26, 1972
LocationPittston Coal Company's coal slurry impoundment dam #3, located on a hillside in Logan County, West Virginia
CauseCoal Mine dam failure
Casualties
125 killed
1,121 injured
4,000+ left homeless

The Buffalo Creek flood was a disaster that occurred in Logan County, West Virginia, on February 26, 1972, when a coal slurry impoundment dam burst, causing significant loss of life and property damage.

The impoundment dam, managed by Pittston Coal Company, had been declared "satisfactory" by a federal mine inspector four days earlier. In its legal filings, Pittston referred to the accident as "an Act of God."