King, Queen and Prince of Wales to join Aberfan survivors and families to remember the 116 children and 28 adults killed when landslide engulfed primary school 60 years ago

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.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.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.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.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.About half the children from the junior school died in the tragedy, which happened on the last day before half 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.Local residents were left with no choice but to take £150,000 from a memorial fund to pay for the clean-up bill. This was eventually returned after decades of 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. 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 reignAhead 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.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.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.They will then spend time with survivors, bereaved parents, and siblings of those who died.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.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. Queen Elizabeth II visited eight days after the tragedy and shortly after a mass funeral had taken 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.She returned to Aberfan three more times during her life and opened Ynysowen Primary School in 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. 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 WalesCharles, 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'.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.William previously met survivors of the Aberfan disaster when he visited with the Princess of Wales in 2023.On the day of the tragedy, it was observed at 7.30am that a coal tip had sunk by around 10ft. Coal bosses were told at 9am, as a worker had to walk to them because there were no phone lines on the mountain. By this time the tip had sunk another 10ft.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.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'.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.First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth, who will attend the remembrance event, described Aberfan as 'one of the darkest days in our nation's history'.'The events of 21st October 1966 devastated the community of Aberfan. It robbed a generation of its children of their futures in a matter of moments,' he said ahead of the anniversary.'Hearing stories of that day is an early memory that left a deep and lasting effect on 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.'The story of Aberfan will never be forgotten. It is a story of the most terrible loss and grief. But also a story of the resilience of a community over six decades.'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.'Today, we remember each and every one of 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.'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.'We offer our prayers for all across Wales and beyond who are touched by today's commemorations.'Ahead of the 60th anniversary of the disaster, a shocking report revealed that around one in ten families in Wales are still living near 'high risk' coal tips that are becoming increasingly unsafe due to the impacts of climate change.There are 2,589 disused coal tips scattered throughout Wales, hundreds of which have been labelled Category C and D, requiring more frequent monitoring because they pose a higher risk.In January 2025, an FOI request by BBC Wales found 13 coal tips had been upgraded to a higher risk category since November 2022, with 11 of those upgraded to the most serious categories – C and D.Fresh concerns arose in November 2024, after Storm Bert sparked a 'washout of a former coal tip' in Cwmtillery, Blaenau Gwent, forcing residents to leave their homes and stay in a leisure centre overnight.That same year, the UK Government pledged £25million to Welsh coal tip safety for 2025-26 as well as further funding of £39.3million a year until 2029.A new report has revealed that more than 130,000 households in Wales are close to coal tips, which pose a risk to public safety amid fears of the consequences of extreme weather such as heavy rain in the area.