43. Vieira Fazenda Office Block Collapse, Brazil
Built: Unlisted
Collapsed: 2012
Est. Damages: $500 million-$1 billion*
Illegal renovations were behind the collapse of the Vieira Fazenda office block. The collapse was progressive, and three commercial office buildings in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil were decimated as a result. Seventeen people died, and many more were injured.
Vieira Fazenda Office Block Collapse, Brazil @eetor3 / Pinterest.com
The second of the three buildings, a twenty-story office complex, was the first to collapse, and it took the other two with it. Regulators investigating the incident said that the construction company had no permits on file for Vieira Fazenda. As a result, the Rio de Janeiro government instituted new regulations, as well as plans to mandate stricter enforcement of the current rules.