South Wales Mining Disaster

Titled aberfan the episode gives the viewer a look inside the catastrophic collapse that devastated the community of aberfan south wales in 1966.

South wales mining disaster. The aberfan disaster killed 144 people including 116 children. The disaster is depicted in detail on the. Welsh historian peter stead described the disaster as one that takes us to the heart of the welsh. In 1966 300 000 cubic yards of coal sludge buried a welsh primary school and 19 houses in aberfan wales.

On october 21 1966 a mining accident occurred in the south wales village of aberfan. The foundation of the disaster was laid nearly a century before when the merthyr vale colliery a coal mine was opened in the area. The total number including those who died because of mining related illnesses would be very much greater. At around quarter past nine on the morning of friday 21 october 1966 disaster struck the coal mining village of aberfan in south wales.

The crown season 3 tells the story of the tragedy and queen elizabeth ii s visit eight days later. The aberfan disaster was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip in wales on 21 october 1966. Much like the days that preceded it the morning of the disaster found aberfan a southern wales village home to some 8 000 coal miners and their loved ones blanketed in a wet fog. Although disasters are large and dramatic in number they only account for less than 17 of mining deaths in wales.

Aberfan is a former coal mining village in the south wales taff valley near merthyr tydfil. The senghenydd colliery disaster also known as the senghenydd explosion welsh. The tip had been created on a mountain slope above the village of aberfan near merthyr tydfil and overlaid a natural spring a period of heavy rain led to a build up of water within the tip which caused it to suddenly slide downhill as a slurry killing 116 children and 28 adults as it. Universal colliery on the south wales coalfield extracted steam coal which was.