Aberfan survivors recall disaster 60 years later

Survivors of the Aberfan disaster have recalled the moment a coal-waste tip collapsed on a school and homes in south Wales, as the tragedy approaches its 60th anniversary.

Gerald Kirwan told BBC Newsnight that he initially thought the collapse was an earthquake. He said he found a classmate lying beside him and realised the boy was dead. Kirwan was eight at the time.

Gaynor Madgwick, another survivor, recalled waking to find herself buried up to her chest in slurry. The BBC video features four people who were children during the disaster, sharing memories of what happened. [1]

The disaster struck Aberfan in 1966, when a coal-waste tip collapsed onto a school and nearby homes.