Inquiry launched into Welsh mining tragedy

The bodies of Phillip Hill, Charles Breslin, David Powell and Garry Jenkins were discovered at the Gleision Colliery in south Wales yesterday, dashing desperate hopes that any of the men would be found alive.

Switching from a search and recovery operation at the flooded mine to an investigation into how the tragedy happened, the police described the sad conclusion to rescue efforts as “the one none of us wanted”.

Local MP Peter Hain has set up the Swansea Valley Miners Appeal Fund and urged the public to make donations at minersappealfund.org.

The alarm was raised early on Thursday after the shaft flooded, trapping the men.

It had been hoped that the miners – originally part of a group of seven – might have found refuge in an air pocket following the accident.

However worst fears were confirmed last night when the police announced that the body of the last of the four had been found at the pit near Swansea.

Fire and rescue and ambulance workers said they had never seen or worked in such conditions before.

The men’s bodies were found close together, one on the exit side of the blockage and the other three, which were recovered yesterday afternoon, in the area where they had been working.

The tragedy sent shockwaves through the close-knit Swansea Valley community, which had been desperately hoping that the last man would be found alive.

Read more from Channel 4 News: Inside the Gleision Colliery drift mine

Mr Vaughan said: “We’ve been humbled by the community spirit that’s been shown during this most tragic of incidents.”

And he asked for the privacy of the families of Mr Hill, 45, from Neath, Mr Breslin, 62, Mr Powell, 50, and Mr Jenkins, all from the Swansea Valley, to be respected.

One of the three miners who managed to escape the drift mine when it flooded has been named in reports as Daniel Powell, son of victim David Powell, who was said to be the site’s maintenance engineer.

Of the three who escaped, one is now critically ill in hospital. The two other men who were with him emerged largely unharmed and helped the rescue operation.

Messages of support have poured in from around the world, with well-wishers everywhere praying for some good news until the final death was announced.

Maria Spooner, Plaid Cymru county borough councillor for Rhos, said: “I’ve spent the last two days with the families in the community centre, so this is the first chance I’ve had to come here and pay my respects.

“This is just something I felt I needed to do. The whole community is very, very quiet but everyone has been amazing in rallying round.

“I’ve just been up to the village to thank the shopkeepers for donating supplies to people at the community centre over the last few days.”

Mr Vaughan also thanked national politicians for the support they had shown.

There’s a long tradition of mining here but nobody expected the tragedies of past generations would come today. Peter Hain, Neath MP

David Cameron described the Gleision Colliery tragedy, which is to be investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as a “desperately, desperately sad situation”.

The Prime Minister said the anguish of the miners’ families was “intense” but that it was clear the emergency services had done everything they could.
Mr Hain said: “This is the end we all feared but hoped against hope wouldn’t happen.

“Extraordinary courage was shown by the families right through the night, tortuous hours of waiting. We can’t imagine what they have been through.

“This has been a stab right through the heart of these local communities. There’s a long tradition of mining here but nobody expected the tragedies of past generations would come today.”

You can make donations to the Swansea Valley Miners Appeal Fund at www.minersappealfund.org

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