MP tells of day disaster struck

CYNON Valley MP Ann Clwyd has shared her memories of the day of the Aberfan Disaster 50 years ago.

Then, as a trainee journalist, she went to the scene as news of the disaster broke.

She said: “On the morning of October 21, 1966, I was driving along the A470 in my Mini, when I heard on the radio that there had been an accident in the village of Aberfan.

“As a young trainee reporter, working for the BBC and The Guardian, I immediately turned my car around and headed off for Aberfan.

“It was a grey, misty day and when I got to the village all I could see were crowds of people and the sound of heavy machinery.

“People were digging frantically; some with their bare hands, others with shovels.

“To begin with, I could not understand exactly what was going on. Then I found myself standing on a coal tip, which I later found was the wet slurry which had slid down the mountain, burying the school and the children.

“Everybody was too shocked to speak.

“Every so often the machinery and the talking would stop. They were listening for voices of people, who might still be alive.

“I stayed there all day and I did one of the first reports for the BBC, describing what was going on. I can’t remember all that much about the day, but I later understood that I was actually standing on parts of the mountain that had buried 116 children and 26 adults on that day.

“The disaster was man-made and could have been avoided. Later, I wrote many pieces on the guilt of the National Coal Board and the failure of those responsible to face up to the truth. The bravery of all those involved in the rescue has been well documented by the BBC in the last few days.

“Fifty years on, brave survivors of the Aberfan disaster have told their stories of loss, survival and heroism.

“It is something I will never forget.”