In November of 1980, a Texaco oil drilling rig accidentally perforated a mine situated below lake Peigneur in Louisiana and operated by the Diamond Crystal Salt Company.

Lake Peigneur present day

A miscalculation of coordinates resulted in the 36 centimeter wide drill bit entering the mine. The chain of events which followed over the next two days was unprecedented. As the cavernous 1500 foot deep salt mine filled with water, a giant whirlpool formed, sucking barges, trucks, boats and large walnut trees underwater and into the hole. The intense suction even caused canals leading to the Gulf of Mexico to flow north for the first and only time ever. The reversal of water flow also resulted in a temporary 164 foot waterfall; The largest in Louisiana’s history, and the air displaced from the mine by the surge of water caused a 400 foot geyser in the middle of the lake.

When all was said and done, the mining company was paid a $32 million settlement by the drilling companies, and an additional $12.8 million was paid to a nearby garden to
cover damages caused by the mistake. Incredibly, all 55 miners who were below at the
time escaped. No one was injured.

The below video tells the story, and gives us a visual of some of the devastation.

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