21/10/2026
Today, 21 October, marks 60 years since the Aberfan disaster.
At around 9.15am on Friday, 21 October 1966, a colliery waste tip collapsed above the village, sending a devastating wave of slurry into Pantglas Junior School and nearby homes. Children had only just begun their school day. Within minutes, 144 lives were lost: 116 children and 28 adults.
Villagers, miners and emergency services desperately searched the wreckage, many digging with their bare hands. No one buried by the slide was rescued alive after 11am. The official report records 35 injured survivorsβ29 children and six adults.
Sixty years on, we remember every life lost, every family changed forever, and a village that continues to carry their memory.
Loving God, hold the victims of Aberfan in your eternal peace. Comfort their families and all who survived, and surround the village with your love, strength and tenderness, today and always. Amen.