It was the greatest infrastructure project the world had ever seen. When the 77 kilometre-long Panama Canal officially opened in 1914, after 10 years of construction, it fulfilled a vision that had tempted people for centuries, but had long seemed impossible. “Never before has man dreamed of taking such liberties with nature,” in awe.
But the project, which employed more than 40,000 labourers, also took immense liberties with human life. Thousands of workers were killed. The official number is 5,609 but many historians think the real toll was several times higher. Hundreds, if not thousands, more were permanently injured.
