Decoding Disaster

Investigation into rail industry standards and safety. A derailment in Maryland and a collision in London claim lives. Has railway maintenance kept up with the times or is the industry headed for disaster?

Sudden avalanches can be deadly, as a group of skiiers in British Columbia discovered when they are buried.

A section of the Bay Bridge collapses during a catastrophic earthquake in Northern California, which left victims dangling for their lives. A bridge is struck by a barge in Oklahoma.

Discover the causes of landslides and how architecture adapts to unstable environments, as extreme mudslides in Venezuela create havoc and destruction.

Look at the fundamental issues of boat design, as tragedy strikes when a capsized boat in New York claims the lives of 20 people. Did a boat's design contribute to the deaths?

Hear survivors first-hand accounts of sweltering days they will never forget, when the Chicago and Paris heatwaves killed thousands.

An exploration into what caused a fire on a New Mexico highway and a tunnel fire in France which left motorists fighting flames to survive.

Take a look at the results of a fatal plane crash in a New York neighbourhood and find out if the latest generation of aeroplanes is to blame.

Including exclusive survivor interviews and rare footage, this programme takes an in-depth look at the E2 nightclub tragedy in Chicago and the Great White concert tragedy at The Station in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The two calamities occurred three days apart in February 2003. Together, 121 lives were lost and approximately 250 people were injured.

Two explosions cause a mine in Alabama to burn for three days, making it one of the worst coal-mining disasters in decades.