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Lake Peigneur Drilling Accident

Lake Peigneur Drilling Accident

ankerssm
2 HN recommenders · discussed 2020–2026
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About this video

A short documentary about the 1980 Lake Peigneur accident in Louisiana, where an oil rig drilled into a salt mine beneath the lake. The lake drained into the mine, creating a whirlpool that swallowed barges.

Why it appears in the archive

Linked in salt mine and industrial accident threads as a fascinating, quick account with striking footage.

AI-generated summary and labels from the source dataset; verify important details against the video. Source & credits.

From the Hacker News discussion

kyuudou · 2020-04 · rec

I bet you know about that salt cavern that collapsed at Lake Peigneur[1]. There should be a documentary on youtube where you can see the footage, including a really big boat going "phoomph" into the whirlpool created by the bayou water filling in the cavern. Edit: here's one[2] [1] [LINK] [2] [VIDEO] still blows my mind

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ljoshua · 2023-12 · rec

Also fascinating because we have video footage of it, and it’s as crazy as it sounds. Quick 8-minute documentary on it that I found interesting: [VIDEO]

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tunap · 2020-01 · reference

Fascinating story, even more amazing nobody died when you realize barges were sucked down into it and the ocean water ran miles(?) inland to fill the void. Saw this documentary on TV a decade or so ago. [VIDEO]

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wewewedxfgdf · 2026-03 · reference

Reminds me of the Lake Peigneur disaster in 1980 in Louisiana when an oil drilling rig entered a salt mine located under the lake. [LINK] [LINK] [VIDEO]

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