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[ INCIDENT CASE STUDIES ]

LEARN FROM THE INCIDENT. BUILD FOR
THE NEXT ONE.

Major emergencies reveal where systems, skills and preparedness are tested. These case studies examine what happened, the response challenges that emerged, and the capabilities that can help strengthen future emergency response.

REAL INCIDENTS·OPERATIONAL LESSONS·RESPONSE CAPABILITY
Emergency response incident sceneImage Source:Le Monde
[01] WHY STUDY INCIDENTS?

EVERY INCIDENT LEAVES A LESSON.

Emergency-response capability is shaped by more than equipment. Major incidents expose challenges in command, coordination, specialist skills, access, communications, evacuation, responder safety and preparedness. Studying these events helps organisations identify where stronger training, planning and systems can reduce risk in the future.

01WHAT HAPPENED

Understand the incident sequence, hazardous parameters and complex operating environmental conditions.

02WHAT MADE RESPONSE DIFFICULT

Identify the key operational challenges, resource bottlenecks, and structural or systemic points of failure.

03WHAT CAPABILITY MATTERS

Connect the post-incident lesson directly to future preparedness, training pathways and command doctrines.

[02] CASE STUDY LIBRARY

INCIDENTS WORTH LEARNING FROM

KUNDALIKA RIVER INCIDENTSImage Source : Youtube Ashtami Gaav
SWIFT WATER & PUBLIC SAFETYKUNDALIKA RIVER INCIDENTSRaigad, Maharashtra · Recurring

The Kundalika is a high-use recreational river where changing flows associated with dam releases can rapidly transform seemingly manageable water into a significant drowning hazard.

Swift WaterPublic SafetyRiver Safety
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MUMBAI MONSOON FLOODINGImage Source : Business Insider
URBAN FLOODINGMUMBAI MONSOON FLOODINGMumbai, Maharashtra · 26–27 July 2005; recurring monsoon risk

Extreme rainfall overwhelmed Mumbai's drainage, transport and emergency systems, exposing how infrastructure, tides and urban density can combine into a city-wide flood emergency.

Urban FloodingMonsoonEmergency Planning
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BOREWELL ENTRAPMENTSImage Source : IndiaToday
CONFINED-SPACE RESCUEBOREWELL ENTRAPMENTSAnchor case: Nadukattupatti, Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu · 25–30 October 2019

Recurring borewell incidents across India demonstrate how a preventable hazard can rapidly become a technically demanding confined-space rescue operation.

Confined SpaceBorewell RescuePrevention
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SILKYARA TUNNEL COLLAPSEImage Source : Independent
TUNNEL RESCUESILKYARA TUNNEL COLLAPSEUttarakhand · 12–28 November 2023

A tunnel collapse trapped 41 workers underground for 16 days, requiring multiple rescue approaches, sustained life-support logistics and extensive multi-agency coordination.

Tunnel RescueConfined SpaceTechnical Rescue
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LG POLYMERS GAS LEAKImage Source : NDTV
CBRN / HAZMATLG POLYMERS GAS LEAKVisakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh · 7 May 2020

A styrene vapour release from the LG Polymers facility spread into surrounding communities, creating a hazardous-material emergency requiring specialist CBRN intervention.

CBRNHazmatChemical Release
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MORBI BRIDGE COLLAPSEImage Source : The Hindu
STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE & WATER RESCUEMORBI BRIDGE COLLAPSEMorbi, Gujarat · 30 October 2022

The collapse of a suspension bridge over the Machchhu River created an immediate mass-casualty water-rescue emergency involving hundreds of people.

Structural CollapseWater RescueMass Casualty
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CHAMOLI DISASTERImage Source : Hindustantimes
FLASH FLOOD & ENTRAPMENTCHAMOLI DISASTERUttarakhand · 7 February 2021

A massive rock-ice avalanche triggered a destructive flash flood through the Rishiganga–Dhauliganga valley, damaging hydro projects and trapping workers inside tunnel systems.

Flash FloodTunnel RescueConfined Space
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CHENNAI FLOODSImage Source : Time
FLOOD & WATERCHENNAI FLOODSChennai, Tamil Nadu · November–December 2015

Extreme rainfall combined with reservoir releases inundated large parts of Chennai, disrupting power, healthcare, transport and relief operations across the city.

Urban FloodingWater RescueIncident Command
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KERALA FLOODSImage Source : Downtoearth
FLOOD & WATERKERALA FLOODSKerala · August 2018

Unprecedented monsoon rainfall triggered the worst flooding Kerala had experienced in nearly a century, displacing over a million people and testing every element of large-scale disaster response.

FLOOD RESCUEEVACUATIONCOORDINATION
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TURN LESSONS INTO PREPAREDNESS.

Every operating environment presents different risks. IRA works with organisations to develop training around the incidents, hazards and responsibilities their teams may face.