Aberfan marks 60 years as Prime Minister Andy Burnham visits the village ahead of anniversary

A visit ahead of the anniversary

Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited the Aberfan memorial garden on Monday, 19 October, meeting a survivor and others with links to the tragedy. He was accompanied by Welsh Secretary Stephen Kinnock and one of the last children brought out alive from the wreckage. Burnham spent about 15 minutes in the garden, which was built on the site of the destroyed Pantglas School, before speaking to people who had gathered outside and visiting a community centre. Pupils from Caegarw Primary School in Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, were at the garden that morning without knowing the prime minister would be there. Two 10-year-old pupils told him about family links to the disaster, one of them a granddad who travelled across the valley to help with the rescue.

“It's been 60 years since one of the most horrifying tragedies this country has ever seen. All of those children lost.”

The collapse of 1966

On Friday, 21 October 1966, a colliery spoil tip above the Welsh mining village collapsed and sent waste down the slope onto Pantglas Junior School and nearby houses. The sources give different estimates of the material involved: the Guardian cites an estimated 100,000 tonnes of slurry, while LBC gives 150,000 tonnes of coal waste. BBC reports a total of 144 people dead, including 116 children, and New Statesman cites 28 adults among the dead. The waste had been built on top of several springs that made it inherently unstable, and the coal board denied knowledge of them. One resident, now 86, lives in the house that had one of the few telephones in the village, and it is believed he made the first call to the fire service that morning. The original fire service vehicle returned to Aberfan this year to visit that house as part of the anniversary events.

Volunteers and the response

On 22 October 1966, the Midland Division of the Institute of Embalmers was holding its annual ladies' night in Nottingham when a telegram requested urgent help. The volunteer embalmers went home to collect equipment, embalming fluid and coffins, then travelled through the night to join colleagues from across the UK. Some had flown from Northern Ireland on a plane with its seats removed to make room for stacks of child-size coffins. Billy Doggart co-ordinated their efforts. The toll the volunteers faced is set out in the figures below.

Children killed116

Adults killed28

Children killed

116 people

Adults killed

28 people

Data from the article text

Criticism of the authorities

The Guardian's review of the documentary Aberfan: The Village That Fought Back describes the behaviour of the National Coal Board and the government of the day as shameful and says the aftermath has been underacknowledged. The review says George Thomas, then secretary of state for Wales, failed to stand up to the board and its chairman, Sir Alf Robens. It adds that Robens went ahead with his installation ceremony as the first chancellor of the University of Surrey on the Friday, reaching Wales only on the Saturday evening. Burnham made a similar point during his visit, saying he did not believe the village had been treated properly by the authorities.

“I don't think Aberfan was treated properly by the authorities and that also needs to be recognised.”

The royal visit to come

King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Prince William will visit the town on Wednesday, 21 October, to mark the anniversary. The royal visit follows the late Queen Elizabeth, who visited Aberfan eight times. Burnham's visit came at a point when residents were preparing for those events, and he said he felt it was important to mark the anniversary in person.