The King, Queen and Prince of Wales will join survivors and bereaved families in remembering the 116 children and 28 adults killed in the Aberfan disaster to mark the 60th anniversary of the tragedy today.
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King → join → tragedy
An entire generation was almost wiped out when 150,000 tons of coal waste slid down the hillside into the village before engulfing Pantglas Junior School on October 21 1966.
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tons → wipe → October
The mud collapse came after days of heavy rain, when excavated mining debris from the Merthyr Vale Colliery was dislodged and thundered down the hillside.
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debris → come → hillside
The waste material had been piled high on the side of Mynydd Merthyr – above Aberfan – for years, even though there were numerous underground springs below.
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material → pile → years
Children in Pantglas Junior School were just getting ready for lessons when 1.5 million cubic feet of liquefied slurry crashed into the school and a number of nearby houses.
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feet → get → houses
About half the children from the junior school died in the tragedy, which happened on the last day before half term.
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which → die → term
Coal bosses had been warned about 'flowslides' prior to the disaster and, despite a 76-day public inquiry, no-one faced prosecution or lost their job.
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one → warn → job
Local residents were left with no choice but to take £150,000 from a memorial fund to pay for the clean-up bill.
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residents → leave → bill
This was eventually returned after decades of campaigning.
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This → return → campaigning
On October 21, 1966, 144 people died after a coal tip collapsed on Pantglas Junior School and Moy Road in Aberfan
A child is carried by a policeman after being pulled from the wreckage following the coal tip collapse
A national tribunal found the 'blame for the disaster rest[ed] upon the National Coal Board' due to a failure to manage piles of waste safely.
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blame → die → waste
No one was prosecuted or even demoted following the tragedy
The event haunted late Queen Elizabeth II, who waited eight days before visiting the coal mining village near Merthyr Tydfil - a move described as the biggest regret of her entire reign
Ahead of the royal visit, crowds amassed in the small village in south Wales to welcome them.
Charles, Camilla and William will visit the Aberfan Memorial Garden, which is located on the site of the junior school, and the nearby Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre.
They will join survivors, bereaved parents and members of the community to pay tribute to all those who lost their lives.
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who → prosecute → lives
A short prayer and a moment of silence will be held, during which The King and The Prince of Wales will lay wreaths, and The Queen will place a posy.
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Queen → hold → posy
At the community centre the royal party will meet retired members of the emergency services who helped in the hours and days after the disaster.
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who → meet → disaster
They will then spend time with survivors, bereaved parents, and siblings of those who died.
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who → spend → those
Later, Prince William will visit Ynysowen Community Primary School where he will unveil the Aberfan Memorial Tree, a new sculpture created to commemorate the anniversary.
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he → visit → anniversary
It comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Aberfan on Monday, where he spoke with survivors and bereaved families and laid a wreath in memory of those who died.
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who → come → those
Queen Elizabeth II visited eight days after the tragedy and shortly after a mass funeral had taken place.
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funeral → visit → place
Her decision not to visit sooner was said to have been one of the greatest regrets of her reign, and caused large-scale controversy at the time.
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decision → visit → time
She returned to Aberfan three more times during her life and opened Ynysowen Primary School in 2012.
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She → return → 2012
Today, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, where he alongside the Secretary of State for Wales, Stephen Kinnock, met Jeff at the cemetery in Aberfan
The disaster struck at 9.13am on October 21, 1966 - this clock was recovered from the wreckage
Archived images of the Aberfan disaster were released last week by the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service ahead of the 60th anniversary
The images show droves of locals desperately looking for survivors among mountains of slurry and debris.
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droves → meet → slurry
Clouds of steam billow from the coal waste that decimated Moy Road
Search operations continued around the clock until all hope of finding more survivors faded
Members of the public gather at Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre ahead of commemoration events to pay tribute to the 144 people who lost their lives in the Aberfan disaster
They gathered ahead of an expected visit by the King, Queen and Prince of Wales
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Charles, who was then the prince of Wales, visited Aberfan in 2016 and privately laid a wreath bearing the words 'Er bythol gof a chyda'r cydymdeiumlad dwysaf', meaning 'In continuing memory and deepest sympathy'.
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who → visit → memory
He planted a sweetgum tree in the Aberfan Memorial Garden and spoke to survivors at a reception before delivering a speech that included a message from the late Queen.
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that → plant → Queen
William previously met survivors of the Aberfan disaster when he visited with the Princess of Wales in 2023.
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he → meet → 2023
On the day of the tragedy, it was observed at 7.30am that a coal tip had sunk by around 10ft.
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tip → observe → ft
Coal bosses were told at 9am, as a worker had to walk to them because there were no phone lines on the mountain.
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worker → tell → mountain
By this time the tip had sunk another 10ft.
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tip → sink → time
Just 15 minutes later, coal tip No7 collapsed, sending 150,000 tons of slurry barrelling into 240 schoolchildren at Pantglas Junior School, their teachers and 19 homes on Moy Road.
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tons → collapse → Road
The Queen's former secretary, Lord Charteris, previously revealed he felt he had given the monarch poor advice to 'stay away [from Aberfan] until the preliminary shock had worn off'.
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shock → reveal → Aberfan
However, when she arrived in the mining village in its darkest hour, she was met with respect and adoration by locals as she became 'really upset' and 'had to compose herself' before meeting those who had lost loved ones.
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who → arrive → ones
First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth, who will attend the remembrance event, described Aberfan as 'one of the darkest days in our nation's history'.
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who → attend → history
'The events of 21st October 1966 devastated the community of Aberfan.
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events → devastate → Aberfan
It robbed a generation of its children of their futures in a matter of moments,' he said ahead of the anniversary.
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he → rob → anniversary
'Hearing stories of that day is an early memory that left a deep and lasting effect on me.
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that → hear → me
It brought home to me the horror of that day for all those who were there, and who lived to bear witness to what happened.
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what → bring → witness
The story of Aberfan will never be forgotten.
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story → forget → Aberfan
Ahead of the milestone, Stephen Kinnock, Secretary of State for Wales, said: 'The community of Aberfan suffered a loss so profound that it remains etched into the memory of our nation.
'
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it → say → nation
Today, we remember each and every one of them.
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we → remember → them
Aberfan is a community that has shown extraordinary strength, resilience and dignity in the face of such devastating tragedy, coming together time and again to ensure that all who were lost there are never forgotten.'
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who → show → tragedy
Archbishop of Wales Cherry Vann said: 'Today, as we commemorate that heartbreaking day, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of a community which has shown, in face of unbearable suffering, the most inspiring resilience and strength.
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which → say → resilience
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
