Aberfan Wales Mining Disaster
In 1966 300 000 cubic yards of coal sludge buried a welsh primary school and 19 houses in aberfan wales.
Aberfan wales mining disaster. It is exactly 50 years since tragedy swooped down on aberfan killing 116 children and 28 adults. On 21 october 1966 it became known for the aberfan disaster when a colliery spoil tip collapsed into homes and a school killing 116 children and 28 adults. Despite the magnitude of the calamity queen elizabeth ii at first. The tragedy in aberfan would become one of the united kingdom s worst mining disasters and it was completely avoidable.
It was a friday morning on october 21 1966 shortly after 9 00 a m. 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. The disaster is depicted in detail on the. The aberfan disaster was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip in wales on 21 october 1966.
Titled aberfan the episode gives the viewer a look inside the catastrophic collapse that devastated the community of aberfan south wales in 1966. How did the aberfan disaster happen. It was one of the united kingdom s worst tragedies and it was a man made disaster. The story of what happened in the south wales mining village of aberfan is a devastating one which.
The true story of the aberfan disaster the 1966 welsh mining tragedy claimed the lives of 116 children and 28 adults and features heavily in the third season of netflix s the crown. ˌabɛrˈvan is a former coal mining village in the taff valley 4 miles 6 km south of the town of merthyr tydfil wales.