1963 October 9th; Italy: Vaiont Dam. TOWNS WIPED OUT IN NIGHT OF HORROR In one of the most horrifying disasters of modern times a flood in Northern Italy takes 1;800 lives. A great wall of water was sent over the Vaiont Dam by a landslide that poured from Mt. Top. The wall of water roared down the valley of the River Piave and wiped out towns and hamlets. In the village of Longarone; for example; 80% of the inhabitants died in the cataclysm.