Surviving Disaster

2006 - 2006

Munich Air Crash

10th January 2006

Episode 1

6 February 1958: the plane carrying Manchester United crashes during take-off in Germany, killing 23 of the 43 on board, including eight members of the "Busby Babes".

Eruption at Mount St Helens

17th January 2006

Episode 2

Eruption at Mount St Helens. Rising almost 10,000 feet over Washington State, the volcano had not erupted for more than 100 years until May 1980, when its unexpected explosion unleashed a destructive force estimated to be 500 times the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

24th January 2006

Episode 3

April 1986: a blast at a Soviet nuclear plant emits 400 times more radiation than Hiroshima's bomb. Adrian Edmondson stars in a drama documentary recalling a catastrophe that the UN claims has killed at least 8,000.

San Francisco Earthquake

7th February 2006

Episode 4

17 October 1989: a tremor measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale causes major damage to the coastal city, trapping scores of drivers on the Cypress freeway. This drama documentary vividly reconstructs the disaster and the rescue mission, while survivors recall the terror.

The Fastnet Yacht Race

14th February 2006

Episode 5

Terror awaited men and women sailing in the infamous offshore race of August 1979. This drama documentary reconstructs the ferocious Irish Sea storm that hit the race and scattered yachts in treacherous waters - killing 15 and causing 24 crews to abandon ship.

Iran Hostage Rescue

21st February 2006

Episode 6

In November 1979, Iranian militants seized the US embassy in Tehran, taking 66 Americans hostage. President Carter ordered an elite US military force to launch a top-secret rescue, Operation Eagle Claw. This re-creation of the dramatic events splices the action with archive footage of those directly involved.

The Sinking of The Estonia

28th February 2006

Episode 7

Once a symbol of independence for the Estonian people, the ferry ventured into the Baltic's high winds and ferocious waves in September 1994. Under pressure to arrive on time, the Estonia kept going at speed - causing the car ramp to open and water to enter. Of the aboard, only 137 survived.

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Documentary Drama

Natural and man-made catastrophes retold by eyewitnesses and dramatic reconstructions.

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