Xaltozan Explosion
The Xaltozan Explosion was a disaster which resulted from the collision of the Zacapine freighter SS Tlatetexoani and the Tyreseian cargo ship the SS Pasca in the Xaltozan narrows which separate Angatahuaca bay and the Angatahuaca-Amegatlan seaport from the Amictlan ocean. The collision of the two vessels started a fire on the SS Tlatetexoani which heated its volatile cargo of fuel oil and high explosive compounds, triggering an explosion which would remain one of the largest human-made explosions ever recorded. The explosion in the Xaltozan narrows caused severe damage to the nearby town of Payon, as well as the Tepozilpitoc distict of Amegatlan, resulting in nearly 1,000 dead and the injury of many thousands of people. Today, the Xaltozan explosion is remembered as the worst man-made disaster in Zacapine history, far exceeding the country's record of nuclear accidents both in financial cost as well as in loss of life.
The Tlatetexoani was serving under the Zacapine merchant marine engaged in the transport of cargo from Zacapican to Pulacan as part of both nations ongoing involvement in the Hanaki War. As part of this effort, the Tlatetexoani had undergone a significant refit while in port at Tecolotlan, where it was loaded with multiple types of flammable and high explosive compounds to be used in the war effort in Malaio. The ship was entering the Amegatlan-Angatahuaca seaport through the Xaltozan narrows to refuel and prepare for the trans-oceanic voyage when it struck the outgoing Pasca, breaching the hull and containment sections within the ship, igniting the fuel oil stores and spreading the blaze which would in a matter of minutes reached the temperature threshhold to set off a chain reaction, detonating the high explosive compounds stored in the cargo holds. The resulting explosion, which occured only 20 minutes after the initial collision, represented a release of energy equivalent to roughly 3 kilotons of TNT.
The explosion severely damaged the Pasca and totally destroyed the Tlatetexoani, fragments of which were scattered as far as 10 kilometers away. The pressure wave generated by the explosion was strong enough to break apart and knock over trees, electrical transmission lines, and to demolish brick, concrete and wooden buildings within a 750 meter radius, which included most of the small town of Payon on the south side of the Xaltozan narrows. The release of energy vaporized a portion of the surrounding seawater, sending a shockwave into the ground via the seabed which would be detected by seismometers hundreds of kilometers away. While many communities in the Angatahuaca area were distant enough to survive the pressure wave of the explosion without much damage, the tsunami generated by the explosion struck the seaside districts of Amegatlan and to a lesser extent Angatahuaca itself causing further damage across the bay.
The response of the disaster was extensive, representing one of the largest relief efforts ever undertaken by the Zacapine state. The thousands of injured needed to be tended to, while the many hundreds of dead also needed to accounted for and removed. The initial process of removing the wounded from the direct radius of the explosion was difficult as the explosion had knocked out the rail bridge connecting Payon, the site of the greatest destruction, with the rest of the region. Small fishing vessels and pleasure craft manned by civilian volunteers proved instrumental in evacuating the wounded by sea. Tens of thousands were left homeless by the disaster, with the small community of Payon never fully recovering. Repairs to the seaside districts and port facilities in Amegatlan and Angatahuaca restored the critical seaport to functionality within just one week of the explosion. The Xaltozan Epitaph in what remains of the community of Payon serves as the principle memorial dedicated to those affected by the disaster, while several smaller memorials exist across the many districts of surrounding Angatahuaca bay communities impacted by the events of the 10th of December, 1928.