60 years on: The Aberfan disaster through the eyes of those who survived
BBC News explores the Aberfan disaster, sixty years on, through the personal accounts of those who lived through this tragic event.
Few events have left a deeper mark on Wales than the Aberfan disaster. On 21 October 1966, a coal tip above Aberfan collapsed, sending a torrent of black slurry down the mountainside.
144 people died, including 116 children, on what was the last day of school before the half-term holiday.
Memories from the Survivors
Teacher Mair Morgan, 25 at the time, remembers:
- "What I remember was the drizzly rain, it was misty. I rang the bell to start school... There was this terrible noise... I saw a wall had collapsed..."
- "We identified them before they were cleaned up... I found that very hard."
Gareth Jones, six, recounts:
- "There was this really unusual sound... water was seeping through the floor... the teacher... climbed on top and smashed the window... She saved our lives."
Gaynor Madgwick, eight, shares her harrowing experience:
- "I heard this tremendous sound... a mass of black came crashing through the window... I woke up to find the classroom was no longer the classroom..."
- "I couldn't see my legs... a pupil in front of me was trapped... another one was trying to get."
These stories, and others, serve as a powerful reminder of the tragedy at Aberfan and the enduring impact it had on Wales and the UK's approach to industrial safety.