Aberfan disaster: Royal Family pay respects to 'most tragic of days imaginable'
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Aberfan disaster 'most tragic of days imaginable' says King on 60th anniversary
Image source: Press Association
Image caption: King Charles paid tribute to the Aberfan community's strength, resilience and "unconquerable spirit"
By Leigh Boobyer, BBC Wales
Published: 21 October 2026, 16:06 BST Updated: 6 minutes ago
The King has described the Aberfan disaster, which killed 116 children and 28 adults, as the "most tragic of days imaginable" on its 60th anniversary.
On 21 October 1966, Pantglas Junior School and several nearby homes in Aberfan, south Wales, were catastrophically engulfed in coal slurry after a colliery spoil tip collapsed.
King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and the Prince of Wales joined survivors and bereaved families on Wednesday and laid wreaths in the Aberfan Memorial Garden.
The King also paid tribute to the community's strength, resilience, and "unconquerable spirit".
Warning: This story contains upsetting details that some may find distressing
About half the children from the school died when excavated mining debris from the Merthyr Vale Colliery was dislodged, and 150,000 tonnes of coal waste came thundering down the hillside.
An official inquiry found the National Coal Board responsible for the disaster, but no-one has ever been prosecuted.
On Friday morning, a minute's silence was held at 09:15 BST to mark the moment the coal spoil struck the village, and church bells rang 144 times for each victim.
Pupils at Ynysowen Community Primary School, built to carry on the legacy of Pantglas, also gathered to pay their respects.
The royals visited the Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre after the memorial garden tribute.
First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth also greeted crowds in Aberfan, with flowers chosen by victims' families laid in the memorial garden.
Who was responsible for the Aberfan disaster?
The coal waste had been piled high on Mynydd Merthyr above Aberfan for years, despite numerous underground springs below.
An official inquiry found the National Coal Board responsible in 1967, but survivors and bereaved families point to ongoing injustices, including limited compensation and minimal support for trauma.
Professor Iain McLean, co-author of Aberfan - Government and Disaster, questions why no-one was ever prosecuted.