13. The Otrag Rocket Launch Failure (1979)
In 1979, the German company OTRAG conducted a rocket test in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), resulting in an explosion near a village. Both the German and Zairian governments suppressed information about the incident to avoid political fallout and protect sensitive technological details. For more information, refer to the Spiegel International article on the Otrag rocket launch failure. (spiegel.de)
