Aberfan Disaster Memorial, Wales 1971

On the morning of 21 October 1966, the small Welsh mining village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, was devastated by one of the worst tragedies in British history. A colliery spoil tip—consisting of coal waste from the nearby Merthyr Vale Colliery—collapsed after heavy rain, sending a massive landslide of slurry down the mountainside.

At 9:13am, the black torrent engulfed Pantglas Junior School and several nearby homes. In a matter of seconds, an entire classroom of children was buried. 144 people lost their lives, 116 of them children—most aged between 7 and 10.

The disaster stunned the nation and led to an outpouring of grief, with support pouring in from across the UK and beyond. A tribunal later found that the National Coal Board was responsible due to negligence in the placement and management of the spoil tip, though no criminal charges were brought.

The Aberfan disaster left a lasting scar on Wales. Memorials now stand at the site of the school and in the village cemetery, serving as a solemn reminder of the lives lost and the price paid for industrial neglect. The tragedy prompted changes in mining safety regulations, but its emotional impact still resonates decades later. Aberfan remains a symbol of both profound loss and the strength of a community that endured the unthinkable.