Wales Coal Mining Disaster
The foundation of the disaster was laid nearly a century before when the merthyr vale colliery a coal mine was opened in the area.
Wales coal mining disaster. The senghenydd colliery disaster also known as the senghenydd explosion welsh. At around quarter past nine on the morning of friday 21 october 1966 disaster struck the coal mining village of aberfan in south wales. Aberfan is a former coal mining village in the south wales taff valley near merthyr tydfil. It was a friday morning on october 21 1966 shortly after 9 00 a m.
Tanchwa senghennydd occurred at the universal colliery in senghenydd near caerphilly glamorgan wales on 14 october 1913 the explosion which killed 439 miners and a rescuer is the worst mining accident in the united kingdom. 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. In the south wales coal mining village of aberfan students at the pantglas junior school had just began their day s lessons after singing the hymn all things bright and beautiful as they did on every other school day before it. Wales had become famous for coal mining during the industrial.
Welsh historian peter stead described the disaster as one that takes us to the heart of the welsh. Universal colliery on the south wales coalfield extracted steam coal which was. Although disasters are large and dramatic in number they only account for less than 17 of mining deaths in wales. The total number including those who died because of mining related illnesses would be very much greater.