King Charles III led tributes Wednesday to the people of the Welsh village of Aberfan on the 60th anniversary of a coal slide onto a school that claimed the lives of 116 children and 28 adults. Charles, who was joined in Aberfan by his wife Queen Camilla and his eldest son Prince William, said it was "profoundly humbling" to hear the testimonies of those who survived the collapse of a mountain of coal sludge onto Pantglas Junior School on Oct. 21, 1966. The disaster unfolded following days of heavy rain, when excavated mining debris from the nearby Merthyr Vale Colliery was dislodged and came thundering down the hillside. Children 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, reports the AP.
About half the children from the junior school died in the tragedy. The coal waste had been piled high above Aberfan for years, even though there were numerous underground springs below. Coal executives had been warned about the possibility of a debris slide prior to the disaster. Despite a 76-day public inquiry at the time, no one faced prosecution or lost their job. The royals have long shown their support for the community. Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II. visited Aberfan 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. She returned to Aberfan three more times during her life.
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