diff --git a/packages/@ourworldindata/types/src/domainTypes/Various.ts b/packages/@ourworldindata/types/src/domainTypes/Various.ts
index 85e1e6cbacf..fd601e16449 100644
--- a/packages/@ourworldindata/types/src/domainTypes/Various.ts
+++ b/packages/@ourworldindata/types/src/domainTypes/Various.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ export enum SiteFooterContext {
     multiDimDataPage = "multiDimDataPage",
     dynamicCollectionPage = "dynamicCollectionPage",
     explorerPage = "explorerPage",
+    explorerIndexPage = "explorerIndexPage",
     default = "default",
     dataInsightsIndexPage = "data-insights-index-page",
     dataCatalogPage = "data-catalog-page",
diff --git a/site/ExplorerIndex.tsx b/site/ExplorerIndex.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f71adbad07b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/site/ExplorerIndex.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+import React from "react"
+import ReactDOM from "react-dom"
+import { MinimalExplorerInfo } from "@ourworldindata/types"
+import { EXPLORER_DYNAMIC_THUMBNAIL_URL } from "../settings/clientSettings.js"
+import { faHeartBroken } from "@fortawesome/free-solid-svg-icons"
+import { FontAwesomeIcon } from "@fortawesome/react-fontawesome"
+import { EXPLORERS_ROUTE_FOLDER } from "@ourworldindata/explorer"
+
+function ExplorerIndexPageCard(props: {
+    baseUrl: string
+    explorer: MinimalExplorerInfo
+}) {
+    const { baseUrl, explorer } = props
+    const [hasError, setHasError] = React.useState(false)
+    return (
+        <li key={explorer.slug}>
+            <a
+                className="explorer-index-page__card"
+                href={`${baseUrl}/${EXPLORERS_ROUTE_FOLDER}/${explorer.slug}`}
+            >
+                {!hasError ? (
+                    <img
+                        width="850"
+                        height="600"
+                        loading="lazy"
+                        onError={() => setHasError(true)}
+                        src={`${EXPLORER_DYNAMIC_THUMBNAIL_URL}/${explorer.slug}.png`}
+                    />
+                ) : (
+                    <div className="explorer-index-page__card-error">
+                        <FontAwesomeIcon icon={faHeartBroken} />
+                        <span>Explorer preview not available</span>
+                    </div>
+                )}
+                <h2>{explorer.title}</h2>
+                <p>{explorer.subtitle}</p>
+            </a>
+        </li>
+    )
+}
+
+export interface ExplorerIndexPageProps {
+    baseUrl: string
+    explorers: MinimalExplorerInfo[]
+}
+
+export function ExplorerIndex(props: ExplorerIndexPageProps) {
+    const { baseUrl, explorers } = props
+    return (
+        <>
+            <header className="explorer-index-page__header grid grid-cols-12-full-width span-cols-14">
+                <h1 className="h1-semibold span-cols-12 col-start-2 collection-title">
+                    Data Explorers
+                </h1>
+                <p className="span-cols-8 col-start-2 span-md-cols-12 col-md-start-2 body-2-regular collection-explanation">
+                    Our data explorers gather many indicators together to
+                    provide comprehensive overviews of their topics.
+                </p>
+            </header>
+            <ul className="explorer-index-page-list span-cols-12 col-start-2 grid grid-cols-4 grid-md-cols-2 grid-sm-cols-1">
+                {explorers.map((explorer) => (
+                    <ExplorerIndexPageCard
+                        baseUrl={baseUrl}
+                        explorer={explorer}
+                        key={explorer.slug}
+                    />
+                ))}
+            </ul>
+        </>
+    )
+}
+
+export const __OWID_EXPLORER_INDEX_PAGE_PROPS =
+    "__OWID_EXPLORER_INDEX_PAGE_PROPS"
+
+export function hydrateExplorerIndex() {
+    const explorerIndexPageProps = (window as any)[
+        __OWID_EXPLORER_INDEX_PAGE_PROPS
+    ]
+
+    if (!explorerIndexPageProps) return
+    ReactDOM.hydrate(
+        <ExplorerIndex {...explorerIndexPageProps} />,
+        document.querySelector(".explorer-index-page")
+    )
+}
diff --git a/site/ExplorerIndexPage.scss b/site/ExplorerIndexPage.scss
index 84945e1976a..0c2a486db6d 100644
--- a/site/ExplorerIndexPage.scss
+++ b/site/ExplorerIndexPage.scss
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
                 }
             }
             img {
+                background: $gray-5;
                 transition: 150ms;
                 box-shadow: 0px 0px 12px 0px rgba(49, 37, 2, 0.05);
             }
@@ -55,4 +56,30 @@
             }
         }
     }
+    @keyframes fadein {
+        from {
+            opacity: 0;
+        }
+        to {
+            opacity: 1;
+        }
+    }
+    .explorer-index-page__card-error {
+        width: 100%;
+        aspect-ratio: 850/600;
+        background-color: $gray-5;
+        color: $grey-text-color;
+        font-size: 1rem;
+        display: flex;
+        flex-direction: column;
+        justify-content: center;
+        align-items: center;
+        svg {
+            margin-bottom: 16px;
+        }
+        svg,
+        p {
+            animation: fadein ease 0.3s;
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/site/ExplorerIndexPage.tsx b/site/ExplorerIndexPage.tsx
index 8acfa1bbc21..2ddaf4a61cf 100644
--- a/site/ExplorerIndexPage.tsx
+++ b/site/ExplorerIndexPage.tsx
@@ -4,18 +4,23 @@ import { Html } from "./Html.js"
 import { EXPLORERS_ROUTE_FOLDER } from "@ourworldindata/explorer"
 import { SiteHeader } from "./SiteHeader.js"
 import { SiteFooter } from "./SiteFooter.js"
-import { MinimalExplorerInfo } from "@ourworldindata/types"
-import { EXPLORER_DYNAMIC_THUMBNAIL_URL } from "../settings/clientSettings.js"
-
-interface ExplorerIndexPageProps {
-    baseUrl: string
-    explorers: MinimalExplorerInfo[]
-}
+import { SiteFooterContext } from "@ourworldindata/types"
+import {
+    __OWID_EXPLORER_INDEX_PAGE_PROPS,
+    ExplorerIndex,
+    ExplorerIndexPageProps,
+} from "./ExplorerIndex.js"
 
 export const ExplorerIndexPage = ({
     baseUrl,
     explorers,
 }: ExplorerIndexPageProps) => {
+    const inlineJs = `window.${__OWID_EXPLORER_INDEX_PAGE_PROPS} = ${JSON.stringify(
+        {
+            baseUrl,
+            explorers,
+        }
+    )}`
     return (
         <Html>
             <Head
@@ -27,36 +32,13 @@ export const ExplorerIndexPage = ({
             <body>
                 <SiteHeader baseUrl={baseUrl} />
                 <main className="explorer-index-page grid grid-cols-12-full-width">
-                    <header className="explorer-index-page__header grid grid-cols-12-full-width span-cols-14">
-                        <h1 className="h1-semibold span-cols-12 col-start-2 collection-title">
-                            Data Explorers
-                        </h1>
-                        <p className="span-cols-8 col-start-2 span-md-cols-12 col-md-start-2 body-2-regular collection-explanation">
-                            Our data explorers gather many indicators together
-                            to provide comprehensive overviews of their topics.
-                        </p>
-                    </header>
-                    <ul className="explorer-index-page-list span-cols-12 col-start-2 grid grid-cols-4 grid-md-cols-2 grid-sm-cols-1">
-                        {explorers.map((explorer) => (
-                            <li key={explorer.slug}>
-                                <a
-                                    className="explorer-index-page__card"
-                                    href={`${baseUrl}/${EXPLORERS_ROUTE_FOLDER}/${explorer.slug}`}
-                                >
-                                    <img
-                                        width="850"
-                                        height="600"
-                                        loading="lazy"
-                                        src={`${EXPLORER_DYNAMIC_THUMBNAIL_URL}/${explorer.slug}.png`}
-                                    />
-                                    <h2>{explorer.title}</h2>
-                                    <p>{explorer.subtitle}</p>
-                                </a>
-                            </li>
-                        ))}
-                    </ul>
+                    <ExplorerIndex baseUrl={baseUrl} explorers={explorers} />
                 </main>
-                <SiteFooter baseUrl={baseUrl} />
+                <SiteFooter
+                    baseUrl={baseUrl}
+                    context={SiteFooterContext.explorerIndexPage}
+                />
+                <script dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: inlineJs }} />
             </body>
         </Html>
     )
diff --git a/site/runSiteFooterScripts.ts b/site/runSiteFooterScripts.ts
index 31ca9f2ae72..a5c540e4266 100644
--- a/site/runSiteFooterScripts.ts
+++ b/site/runSiteFooterScripts.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
 import { runAllGraphersLoadedListener } from "./runAllGraphersLoadedListener.js"
 import { hydrateMultiDimDataPageContent } from "./multiDim/MultiDimDataPageContent.js"
 import { hydrateDataCatalogPage } from "./DataCatalog/DataCatalog.js"
+import { hydrateExplorerIndex } from "./ExplorerIndex.js"
 
 export const runSiteFooterScripts = (
     args:
@@ -66,6 +67,12 @@ export const runSiteFooterScripts = (
             runCookiePreferencesManager()
             void runDetailsOnDemand()
             break
+        case SiteFooterContext.explorerIndexPage:
+            hydrateExplorerIndex()
+            runSiteNavigation(BAKED_BASE_URL)
+            runCookiePreferencesManager()
+            runSiteTools()
+            break
         case SiteFooterContext.gdocsDocument:
             hydrateOwidGdoc(debug, isPreviewing)
             runAllGraphersLoadedListener()