The Aberfan Disaster ECH 5510 DISASTER MANAGEMENT & EMERGENCY PLAN PROF. DR. FAKHRUL’ RAZI AHMADUN The Aberfan Disaster Group Members: Hafizah Nur Kamaruzzaman GS25020 Intan Shaidatul Shima Shariff GS26226 Syed Afzal Idid Syed Hussin GS24950

Background and Description On Friday, 21 October 1966 at 9.15 am, a large section of colliery waste tip slid down into the mining village of Aberfan, in South Wales. Latitude : 51.75o Longitude:-0.3833o Aberfan Background and Description

Half of a million tonnes colliery waste, in a tidal wave of 40 feet high, hit the village. 144 people died in this tragic mining disaster, 116 of these were children from Pantglas Junior School. The workers on the tip up the mountain had seen the slide start, but could not raise the alarm because the had no telephone. Earlier landslides had occurred but the National Coal Board believe that the movement was slow enough to allow a warning to be given.

Chronology Chronology about 20 houses before come to rest. school and engulfed the The slide cottage, killing all the destroyed a farm occupants. It first the same area as the minor place in 1966, in almost The large landslide took slip before in 1963. in 1944 and 1963, without damaging failures. springs, which has led to destabilization Several of the tips were placed above the The spoil tips had been there for more than 20 years, on top of Brithdir Sandstone, which has many springs coming out of it. Chronology Chronology

Colliery waste tip no 7 located above a spring, which allowed water seeping through, causing fine clay removal from the ‘toe’ of the tip thereby increasing its gradient. Tip 5 Tip 4 Tip 7 Spring Brithdir sandstone Brithdir Coal Boulder clay and Alluvium Pantglas Junior School Aberfan Diagram

The Stage of Development of the Disaster.

Notionally normal starting points Stage I Notionally normal starting points Earlier landslides had occurred in 1944 and 1963 with non-damaging failures. The National Coal Board also believe that the movements were slow enough to allow a warning to be given. There was no tipping policy in National Coal Board. Stage II Incubation period The heap from the excavated waste from the coal mine were piled on top of the Brithdir Sandstone, which has many springs coming out from it. Tip no. 7 which located above the spring, allowed the water seeping through that increase its gradient. Stage III Precipitating event Tip no 7 slid down into the mining village of Aberfan killing 144 people, 116 of them were school children. Stage IV Onset The landslide first destroyed a farm cottage, killing all the occupants. The slide then engulfed the Pantglas Junior School and about 20 houses nearby. Stage V Rescue and salvage Frantic parents rushed to the scene digging and clawing at the debris with their bare hands, trying to uncover buried school children. The police forces of Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan and Cardiff combined, controlling and coordinating both the immediate rescue efforts. Stage VI Full cultural readjustment The Aberfan Disaster Fund, which was set up by the public was forced to pay by the National Coal Board for the tips removal works. The government finally pays back the amount to the fund after years of campaigning for the wrong to be set right.

Impacts & Effects

The Mines and Quarries Tips Act of 1969 was introduced. The Wilson government immediately appointed a Tribunal of Inquiry under the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921. The Mines and Quarries Tips Act of 1969 was introduced. The police forces of Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan and Cardiff combined - controlling and coordinating both the immediate rescue efforts and aftermath of the tragedy. An emergency-planning department was established by the South Wales Constabulary in 1992. The disaster prompted a movement of environmental and economic renewal in Wales

The Tribunal of Inquiry

On October 26, 1966, the Secretary of State for Wales, Cledwyn Hughes, appointed a special tribunal to investigate the Aberfan Disaster. For 76 days, the inquiry interviewed 136 witnesses and examined 300 exhibits. In its official report dated August 3, 1967, the inquiry concluded that "Blame for the disaster rests upon the National Coal Board. This is shared, though in varying degrees, among the NCB headquarters, the South Western Divisional Board, and certain individuals. … The legal liability of the NCB to pay compensation of the personal injuries, fatal or otherwise, and damage to property, is incontestable and uncontested. ".

Emergency response and Mitigation Efforts

A large amount of water and mud was still flowing down the slope Frantic parents rushed to the scene - digging through the rubble - clawing at the debris with their bare hands - trying to uncover buried children Police from Merthyr Tydfil arrived - took charge of the search-and-rescue operations Hundreds of people drove to Aberfan to try and help but their efforts were largely in vain A large amount of water and mud was still flowing down the slope The growing crowd of untrained volunteers further hampered the work of the trained rescue teams who were arriving A few children were pulled out alive in the first hour, but no survivors were found after 11am that day

It was nearly a week before all the bodies were recovered. By the next day (Saturday) some 2000 emergency services workers and volunteers were on the scene, some of whom had worked continuously for more than 24 hours. Rescue work had to be temporarily halted during the day when water began pouring down the slope again It was nearly a week before all the bodies were recovered.

Bethania Chapel, 250 metres from the disaster site, was used as the temporary mortuary and missing persons bureau from 21 October until 4 November 1966 and its vestry was used to house Red Cross volunteers and St John Ambulance stretcher-bearers. The smaller Aberfan Calvinistic Chapel was used as a second mortuary from 22-29 October and became the final resting-place for the victims before their funerals.

A young boy looks on as rescuers dig for survivors

The Role of the Police in the Aberfan Disaster Police Officers assisting in the grim task of digging for survivors

A total of 15 Glamorgan Police officers and 17 Merthyr Borough Police Officers provided 24-hour coverage at the mortuary. They organised a water supply to the chapel, telephone installation, an administration system and made the necessary arrangements for identification and medical examination of the deceased, inquests and the issuing of burial and cremation orders. By 11.30pm on the day of the disaster, 67 bodies had been brought to the mortuary and identification had begun. By the following morning every pew in Bethania Chapel, both upstairs and downstairs, was occupied by a body. Stretchers were subsequently brought into use and placed across pews. Coffins were supplied from South Wales, the Midlands, Bristol and Northern Ireland. Between Saturday and Monday, 192 coffins arrived at the mortuary and were stored in part of the vestry.

On Sunday morning, 400 embalmers arrived at Aberfan and cleaned, dressed, and properly coffined over 100 bodies. An officer from Cardiff City Police together with colleagues from the Merthyr Borough Force, supervised the work of the embalmers and attended to the proper release of coffins to the undertakers. The embalmers had to work in the vestry where space was extremely restricted, but despite these restrictions the police were satisfied that their work was to the highest standard. Arrangements were made for the bodies to be released to the bereaved relatives from 10am on Monday 24th October.

The Coroner for Merthyr Police made sure that only two doctors were involved in the certification of death and the examination of bodies; the bodies were identified to the Coroner’s Officer and then in turn identified to the doctor and the coroner at the inquest. Arrangements for the burial/cremation orders were handed to representatives of the bereaved families. Notification of all inquests was pinned to the Chapel door. The cause of death was typically found to be asphyxia, a fractured skull or multiple crush injuries.

The police supervised all identifications. As bodies were brought to the mortuary, each was labelled with a consecutive number in the presence of a police officer, recorded and placed in the chapel to await identification. After identification the name was inserted on the label and in records. The body was then dealt with by the embalmers, properly coffined, and released to undertakers in accordance with the wishes of the relatives. The label never left the body.

To ensure best identification, relatives were admitted to identify one body at a time. No room was available in the early stages to accommodate everyone waiting, so the other relatives patiently and co-operatively waited on the forecourt of the chapel. The situation was explained and seats provided. Where no identification could be obtained, a description of the missing person was obtained by police officers assisted by selected red-cross workers. The method of identification was visual where possible, and confirmed by clothing or property; otherwise identification was made by means of clothing/property combined with a general description.

Funeral Arrangements

The relatives of the deceased met at Zion Chapel to discuss funeral arrangements. A mass funeral was favoured, but some relatives expressed a preference for individual burials/cremations. The police ensured that all burial arrangements were made in accordance with the wishes of the relatives. They explained the procedure of identification to the relatives to reassure them that correct identifications had been made in all cases prior to burial. In addition, they guaranteed that the bodies had been revered throughout the process of checking, embalming and burial. The coffins were placed for viewing in the vestry at Aberfan Calvinistic Chapel.

The final death toll was 144 The final death toll was 144. In addition to five of their teachers, 116 of the dead were children between the ages of 7 and 10 – almost half of the children at the Pantglas Junior School. Most of the victims were interred at the Bryntaf Cemetery in Aberfan in a joint funeral held on 27 October 1966, attended by more than 2000 people.

The main funeral took place at Aberfan cemetery on Thursday 27th October 1966, but individual funerals were carried out daily between 24th and 31st October. Aberfan cemetery

The Final Fatality Roll

The police painstakingly determined the final fatality roll by arranging for press and television publicity asking all persons to notify either the police or Bethania Chapel if they knew of any missing persons who might have been involved in the tragedy. A check was then made on such persons via house to house inquiries. Only two class registers were available for the staff and children at Pantglas Junior School. In order to determine the numbers of deceased, it was necessary to rewrite the missing registers by checking on all possible pupils in the school’s admission book.

A count was also carried out on all the pupils in Pantglas Senior School, where all the class registers were available. The class registers were checked with three surviving teachers and the borough education department. No discrepancies were found. A count was carried out for the occupants of the demolished houses, and checked with the electoral register, health executive list, the school list and the Reverend K Hayes who kept his own list. There were no discrepancies.

The Aftermath The tragedy was caused by two days of continual heavy rain loosening the coal slag, which was situated on top of an underground spring.

Analysis of Causes

It was covered 400ft of a totally unculverted stream. The National Coal Board allocate the Tip no. 7 on top of springs which shown on the Ordnance Survey map. Built the tips on slopes that can slip. No previous case of loss life due to tip stability. No regular inspection of the tips where it is wholly haphazard and no reference of the stability but related to the mechanical equipment for tipping. Failure to employ competent and well – trained workers.

The Aberfan tip complex had slid in 1944 and 1963 The Aberfan tip complex had slid in 1944 and 1963. NCB spent many days at the inquiry denying the 1963 slide had occurred. NCB had no tipping policy and its engineering experts had given no guidance to local workers. There’s no plans or surveys, no reports and also the person-in-charge never climbed to the top of Tip no.7 to see conditions or seeking from tipping gang. Response and Recovery

Lessons Learnt Freedom of information matters Don’t let politicians run quango Governments should protect consumers Voters in safe seats are marginalised Don’t have local authorities that are too small Impose serious penalties on negligent corporations Regulators must neither share the culture regulated nor exist in private world of their own Be consistent about risk Give the victims the rest of their money back Lessons Learnt

Recommendations & Conclusions

Inspect tips regularly and thoroughly. Keep alive the lessons of the past. Speak up if a hazard is suspected. Learn from no-injury accidents. Employ competent and well-trained staff. Employ civil engineers to manage tips. Conduct a training for the inspectors. Do not tip above villages. Whenever possible we should try to avoid hazards rather than control them. By applying inherently safer design philosophy leads to the suggestion that whenever possible we should locate tips so that, if they do slide, casualties are likely to be small. Use more natural gas and electricity.

Immediate technical recommendations. Avoiding the hazard by inherently safer design. Improving the management system.

APPENDIX

On Friday 21 October 1966, a coal tip collapsed sending thousands of tons of mud and colliery waste down Merthyr Mountain near Aberfan in South Wales, destroying a school and about 20 houses and killing 144 people. Susan Robertson, 8, was pulled alive from the rubble.

The collapse of tip seven sent a vast quantity of saturated sludge, a "dark glistening wave", higher than a house, roaring down the mountain and into Aberfan. One hundred and sixteen of the dead were children

The mudslide brought with it trees, boulders, bricks and slurry and crossed a disused canal and railway before finally coming to a halt in Aberfan.

Children at Pantglas Junior School were settling down to lessons when they heard a loud jet-like rumbling noise. Those lucky enough to escape described seeing black out of the window and then an eerie silence. Five teachers and 109 pupils were killed.

Anxious parents rushed to the school Anxious parents rushed to the school. The first to arrive had no tools and dug with their bare hands or whatever they could find. Three classrooms were destroyed and most of the occupants killed - other children were trapped under desks and fallen debris

All the bodies were taken to Bethania Chapel All the bodies were taken to Bethania Chapel. Grieving parents had to wait outside because there was so little room inside. Identifying the victims was a long, slow process.

Bulldozers were brought in to help shift the debris and an endless line of lorries carried it away. Extra police had to keep away the inexperienced rescuers.

A mass funeral was held on 28 October, one week after the disaster A mass funeral was held on 28 October, one week after the disaster. Some 3,000 people gathered in the cemetery above the town. Many wept openly as the children's coffins were lowered into the ground.

Long after Aberfan dropped out of the news headlines, the people of the town were still coming to terms with their feelings of grief, anger and even guilt. Doctors reported an increase in breakdowns and drink and stress-related illnesses

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Aberfan on 30 October to pay their respects to those who had died. The Queen received a posy from a three-year-old girl with the inscription: "From the remaining children of Aberfan". Onlookers said she was close to tears

Today the tips have gone and Merthyr colliery has closed Today the tips have gone and Merthyr colliery has closed. About half the victims of the disaster were buried in the town's cemetery.

Pantglas school was demolished and a memorial garden now stands on the site. The mountain behind bears little trace of the old mine workings

REFERENCES KLETZ, T.A., (2001). Learning from Accidents 3rd edition. McLEAN, I., (2001). Aberfan: no end of a lesson. – Professor Politics at Oxford University. REFERENCES