Witness to Disaster

The tornado super outbreak in April 2011 is unprecedented; over just 4 days, 360 tornadoes leave a trail of devastation as deadly weather systems build along the southern states of the USA. One of the deadliest tornadoes touches down in Alabama, and destroys two towns in 15 minutes. By 28th April, 348 people have been killed, thousands are homeless and the overall damage is in excess of 12 billion dollars.

A rock collapses inside a mine in Chile, trapping 33 miners almost half a mile under some of the hardest rock on Earth. The Chilean authorities and an international rescue team face a major challenge — they must find the men and, if they're still alive, figure out how to bring them to the surface. Never before has this type of rescue been attempted, and no one knows if it will succeed.

Montecito is hit by a devastating natural disaster that leaves its residents fighting for their lives. Overnight, the quiet California beach town is swamped by a terrifying series of debris flows that destroys homes and leaves streets swimming in mud. Through eyewitness testimony and footage taken during the disaster, we reveal how split-second decisions made the difference between life and death.

The story of the largest wildfire in Portugal's history and how it devastated a rural community. As firefighters tried to control the blaze, fierce winds from a thunderstorm combined with the fire to make it unstoppable. Fleeing locals were caught in the inferno — many injured and killed. Through forensic analysis, we reveal how this event unfolded.

Nepal is hit by a 6.7 mega-earthquake that kills thousands. Across the country, survivors are hit by terrifying avalanches that destroy everything in their path. We reveal remarkable stories of survival, from the Kathmandu Valley to Mount Everest. We detail the split-second decisions that resulted in life or death, from those who were there and through footage recorded during the tragedy.

On Oct. 1, 2015, the cargo ship El Faro was on its regular run from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico when it disappeared in Hurricane Joaquin, a Category 4 storm. A subsequent investigation determined that El Faro sank off the coast of the Bahamas, and all 33 crew members had been lost. The sinking was the greatest seagoing U.S. merchant marine shipping disaster since World War II.