There were, of course, other very human factors that contributed to the tragedy.Then a pointless, and in retrospect possibly fatal, curfew on the night the dam burst.
Such a volatile time for the country will undoubtedly have contributed to the lack of decent infrastructure and flood planning. It found that between 2010 and 2020, human mortality from floods, droughts and storms was 15 times greater in highly vulnerable regions - that's those with fragile governments and infrastructure.
But as it travelled over the Mediterranean it was boosted by sea temperatures that were two to three degrees warmer than average for early September.