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196621 October 1966 · Aberfan, Merthyr Tydfil

The Aberfan disaster

The memorial garden laid out on the site of Pantglas school in Aberfan, with paths, lawns and a bench
Photo: Alan Hughes. CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A colliery spoil tip on the mountainside above Aberfan, soaked by rain and piled over a spring, slid down into the village and buried Pantglas Junior School and nearby houses. 144 people died, 116 of them children. The inquiry put the blame on the National Coal Board, and the disaster led to a new law on the safety of tips in 1969.

Sites

  1. Site 1: Aberfan Memorial GardenGarden laid out on the site of Pantglas Junior School.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: Aberfan CemeteryHillside graves of the children beneath a long row of white arches.Map ↗

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More from the Cold War

Read more: reference. Summary written by History-Tours.com.