Tragedy in Welsh Mine

Miners trapped in Wales
Sep 16, 2011
http://news.aol.co.uk/2011/09/16/miners-trapped-in-wales/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cuk-ws-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk4%7C78186

Rescuers attempting to free four miners trapped in a flooded pit at the Gleision Colliery near Cilybebyll in Pontardawe, South Wales, have located two bodies, police have confirmed.

The body of one of the dead miners has been recovered but no formal identification has yet been made.

The accident occurred when a retaining wall holding back a body of water underground failed, flooding a tunnel that seven men were in. It left four men trapped about 820ft (250m) along the tunnel at a depth of 295ft (90m).

Emergency services said they had not given up hope of finding the other two men alive.

Unquote.

Our thoughts are with the families.

Very sad news. Thinking of the families.

A third body has been found now :-(

It's so awful My grandad was a miner, he was in an accident whrn the roof caved in and he broke his back. These people are real heroes and nobody hardly appreciates the work they do, yet go on BigBrother and earn a million quid for doing bugger all. Funny old world!

Iv"e been out most of the day so just catching up. On the late News last night it was reported that 3 men had managed to get out and the 4 trapped
stood a good chance of finding shelves above the water level until rescuers reached them. The Mine is locally owned and the entrance is on a hillside,
surrounded by trees which makes it difficult for rescuers and medics to access the opening. Pontadawe where the mine is situated is a small village
with a closeknit community so there will be a lot of support for the Widows, a terrible tragedy.

Breaking News


6:27pm UK, Friday September 16, 2011





Trapped Miners: Fourth Man Is Found Dead

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David Crabtree, Sky News correspondent



Police have found the body of the last remaining miner stuck in the flooded colliery in South Wales.







Rescue workers at the Gleision Colliery near Cilybebyll




The development means Phillip Hill, 45, Charles Breslin, 62,
David Powell, 50, and Garry Jenkins, 39, have all perished in the
tragedy near Swansea.


Their families had been waiting at a nearby community centre in the
hope of good news as the search and rescue operation continued.


Police said all four bodies have now been removed from the scene but formal identification has yet to take place.


South Wales chief constable Peter Vaughan said: "We've tried to bring
this safely to its conclusion. Unfortunately the conclusion we have is
the one none of us wanted."


Mr Vaughan, who said an investigation would now be launched, added:
"I can't begin to imagine what the families are going through."







Garry Jenkins is one of the men who were trapped by the flood





Shortly before the announcement was made, Prime Minister David Cameron had described the situation as "desperately sad".


He said this afternoon: "One can only imagine the anguish the
families are going through and will go through and the sorrow of losing
loved ones.


Mr Cameron added: "It is clear the emergency services have done
everything they can and worked incredibly hard and have not lacked for
anything."


Shadow Welsh secretary Peter Hain said the tragedy had been like a
"stab through the heart" of the community but hailed the "superhuman"
efforts of the rescue team.


:: Click here for more pictures of the tragedy


Gleision Colliery, thought to be part of a private mine, is located
under a very steep hillside above the banks of the River Tawe.


The small pit flooded at around 9am on Thursday morning when a retaining wall holding back a body of water underground failed.


Seven workers were in the drift mine at the time. It is thought their
shift began about two hours earlier. Three others made it to safety.


They have been named locally as Mark Lloyd, 45, Malcolm Fifield and Andrew Powell, 23, believed to be the son of David Powell.







Emergency workers at the scene of the tragedy on Friday (Pic: Carl Ryan)





The first body was found almost 24 hours into the rescue mission at 8.30am on Friday, the second at around 12pm.


Police revealed the third body had been discovered shortly before 3pm and the final miner was confirmed dead at 6pm.


Divers trying to reach the men had been forced to abandon their attempt in the early hours of the day.


Fresh rescue teams were brought in this morning to relieve crews who had worked strenuously for at least 12 hours straight.


At the height of the rescue operation, around 200 workers were battling to find the men.


An expert listening device, which can detect movement deep underground, was the among the specialist kit being used.


The team managed to clear the blocked main shaft, allowing them to search the network of tunnels but by then it was too late.


It had been hoped the miners would have found an air pocket, allowing them to keep breathing until rescuers arrived.


:: South Wales Police have set up a dedicated phone line for worried relatives. The number is 01792 555565.

Peter Hain announced website for donations towards Welsh miner families to be live this afternoon: http://www.minersappealfund.org

Rail wrote:Peter Hain announced website for donations towards Welsh miner families to be live this afternoon: http://www.minersappealfund.org

Morning Rail, I saw the interview on the News last night and think he is out of order. He is a Government Minister for Wales but I"m sure the residents
of the Village where the men lived will look after their own and the Owner of the Mine would have taken out Insurance for the workers, it is a very
small Mine. Hain is just grandstanding on a tragedy.IMO

Panda wrote:

Rail wrote:Peter Hain announced website for donations towards Welsh miner families to be live this afternoon: http://www.minersappealfund.org

Morning Rail, I saw the interview on the News last night and think he is out of order. He is a Government Minister for Wales but I"m sure the residents
of the Village where the men lived will look after their own and the Owner of the Mine would have taken out Insurance for the workers, it is a very
small Mine. Hain is just grandstanding on a tragedy.IMO

I agree, he is making political capital out of a tragedy. Absolutely despicable. And I don't like the way society is moving by the immediate assumption that all tragedies can somehow be "eased" by money.

Iris wrote:

Panda wrote:

Rail wrote:Peter Hain announced website for donations towards Welsh miner families to be live this afternoon: http://www.minersappealfund.org

Morning Rail, I saw the interview on the News last night and think he is out of order. He is a Government Minister for Wales but I"m sure the residents
of the Village where the men lived will look after their own and the Owner of the Mine would have taken out Insurance for the workers, it is a very
small Mine. Hain is just grandstanding on a tragedy.IMO

I agree, he is making political capital out of a tragedy. Absolutely despicable. And I don't like the way society is moving by the immediate assumption that all tragedies can somehow be "eased" by money.

Hain was considered an anarchist in the 60"s and it was a surprise that he turned to Politics. I have never liked him and he has done little as Minister for Wales. I remember there was some scandal about him but can"t remember what it was. I think it is O.K. to have a collection for the Widows and their Families, not for their grief to be eased but maybe to help with Funeral expenses and pay off some loans the Families probably have , more a
practicality if you like.

Panda wrote:

Iris wrote:

Panda wrote:

Rail wrote:Peter Hain announced website for donations towards Welsh miner families to be live this afternoon: http://www.minersappealfund.org

Morning Rail, I saw the interview on the News last night and think he is out of order. He is a Government Minister for Wales but I"m sure the residents
of the Village where the men lived will look after their own and the Owner of the Mine would have taken out Insurance for the workers, it is a very
small Mine. Hain is just grandstanding on a tragedy.IMO

I agree, he is making political capital out of a tragedy. Absolutely despicable. And I don't like the way society is moving by the immediate assumption that all tragedies can somehow be "eased" by money.

Hain was considered an anarchist in the 60"s and it was a surprise that he turned to Politics. I have never liked him and he has done little as Minister for Wales. I remember there was some scandal about him but can"t remember what it was. I think it is O.K. to have a collection for the Widows and their Families, not for their grief to be eased but maybe to help with Funeral expenses and pay off some loans the Families probably have , more a
practicality if you like.

Hi Panda, from Wikepedia
Resignation following donations scandal The Guardian newspaper, on 10 January 2008, noted that Hain was being accused of not reporting £100,000 in contributions. It later emerged that a large part of these funds were channeled through a non-operating think tank, the Progressive Policies Forum.[19] A separate £82,000 was reported. On 12 January, Peter Hain released a statement saying that, being busy with his government jobs, it was simply forgotten about, and said it was absurd to think any misconduct took place, and that he would pay back £25,000 of the money.[citation needed]

The list of hidden donations included money from Steve Morgan, who was in charge of the deputy leadership bid, and Isaac Kaye, who had previously donated to the National Party in South Africa, who were pro-apartheid.[citation needed]

On 24 January 2008, he resigned from several posts including his position as Work and Pensions secretary, after the Electoral Commission referred the failure to report donations to Metropolitan Police. He cited a desire to "clear his name" as the reason for his resignation. Peter Hain was the first person to resign from Gordon Brown's cabinet. He was replaced as Secretary of State for Wales by Paul Murphy, and as Secretary for Work and Pensions by James Purnell in a forced cabinet reshuffle.[20]

Peter Hain's campaign failed to declare £103,156 of donations, contrary to electoral law.[21] On 3 July 2008, the Metropolitan Police announced that they had referred Peter Hain's case to the Crown Prosecution Service.[22] On 5 December 2008 the CPS announced that Hain would not be charged because Hain did not control the members' association Hain4Labour that funded his campaign.[

there going to be a memorial later today.
mine was plagued by problems such as flooding supposedly;source;sky news;12' o'clock news

malena stool wrote:

Panda wrote:

Iris wrote:

Panda wrote:

Rail wrote:Peter Hain announced website for donations towards Welsh miner families to be live this afternoon: http://www.minersappealfund.org

Morning Rail, I saw the interview on the News last night and think he is out of order. He is a Government Minister for Wales but I"m sure the residents
of the Village where the men lived will look after their own and the Owner of the Mine would have taken out Insurance for the workers, it is a very
small Mine. Hain is just grandstanding on a tragedy.IMO

I agree, he is making political capital out of a tragedy. Absolutely despicable. And I don't like the way society is moving by the immediate assumption that all tragedies can somehow be "eased" by money.

Hain was considered an anarchist in the 60"s and it was a surprise that he turned to Politics. I have never liked him and he has done little as Minister for Wales. I remember there was some scandal about him but can"t remember what it was. I think it is O.K. to have a collection for the Widows and their Families, not for their grief to be eased but maybe to help with Funeral expenses and pay off some loans the Families probably have , more a
practicality if you like.

Hi Panda, from Wikepedia
Resignation following donations scandal The Guardian newspaper, on 10 January 2008, noted that Hain was being accused of not reporting £100,000 in contributions. It later emerged that a large part of these funds were channeled through a non-operating think tank, the Progressive Policies Forum.[19] A separate £82,000 was reported. On 12 January, Peter Hain released a statement saying that, being busy with his government jobs, it was simply forgotten about, and said it was absurd to think any misconduct took place, and that he would pay back £25,000 of the money.[citation needed]

The list of hidden donations included money from Steve Morgan, who was in charge of the deputy leadership bid, and Isaac Kaye, who had previously donated to the National Party in South Africa, who were pro-apartheid.[citation needed]

On 24 January 2008, he resigned from several posts including his position as Work and Pensions secretary, after the Electoral Commission referred the failure to report donations to Metropolitan Police. He cited a desire to "clear his name" as the reason for his resignation. Peter Hain was the first person to resign from Gordon Brown's cabinet. He was replaced as Secretary of State for Wales by Paul Murphy, and as Secretary for Work and Pensions by James Purnell in a forced cabinet reshuffle.[20]

Peter Hain's campaign failed to declare £103,156 of donations, contrary to electoral law.[21] On 3 July 2008, the Metropolitan Police announced that they had referred Peter Hain's case to the Crown Prosecution Service.[22] On 5 December 2008 the CPS announced that Hain would not be charged because Hain did not control the members' association Hain4Labour that funded his campaign.[

Another corrupt Politician........no wonder the Country is in such a state and we have Cameron and Sarkozy visiting Libya and offering aid as if we canafford it. I know it"s the Oil they are after but how about using Gaddafi"s Billions in various Banks? Thanks malena, Peter Hain really is a slippery
customer.

Badboy wrote:there going to be a memorial later today.
mine was plagued by problems such as flooding supposedly;source;sky news;12' o'clock news

Hi Badboy,

I saw the pictures on the News, the Miners had to cut coal on their knees because the ceiling was so low down. It is a small mine, privaetely owned and I wouldn"t be surprised if it is forced to close down because of the working conditions.access is dreadful , but it is probably the only work available for
such a small village,dreadful for the Families.

Disaster Is Third To Hit Area In Recent Times

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11:45am UK, Saturday September 17, 2011


Tom Parmenter, Sky News correspondent



The deaths of the four miners in the south Wales mine collapse is the
latest tragedy to hit neighbouring villages in the Swansea Valley.










They are small but proud communities that usually revel in the
dividing lines and differences between them but now they are once again
united in grief and shock.


Two days before the rescue efforts at the Gleision Colliery, five-year-old Harry Patterson was killed in the nearby village of Alltwen.


An empty family car rolled down the slope of the driveway at his home and hit him last Tuesday evening.


The youngster was airlifted to hospital in Cardiff but was later pronounced dead.







A tribute poem to the men which shows the unity of the mining community





It is believed he may have released the car's handbrake and then somehow got in the way of the moving vehicle.


His family described him as "a real individual in the truest sense of the word".


The village of Cilybebyll, very close to the mine, is also where Ben and Catherine Mullany got married in July 2008.


The couple then jetted off to Antigua for their honeymoon.


Two days before the end of their holiday they were both attacked by gunmen.


Mrs Mullany died on the island.







Relatives gathered at a local community centre during the rescue





Her husband was flown by air ambulance to Wales for emergency treatment at the Swansea hospital where his wife had worked.


A week after Catherine had died, Mr Mullany's life support system was
switched off after doctors said there was no chance of recovery.


Councillor David Lewis told Sky News that the community had "suffered so much over recent times."


He added: "You cannot believe it, it is a dreadful time especially after all we have been through."


:: Tributes are to be paid to the victims before Swansea City's home game this afternoon, when the victims will be formally identified.




More on this story:


Inquiry Launched Into Mine Disaster


Pictures From The Scene Of Mine Accident

Panda wrote:

malena stool wrote:

Panda wrote:

Iris wrote:

Panda wrote:

Morning Rail, I saw the interview on the News last night and think he is out of order. He is a Government Minister for Wales but I"m sure the residents
of the Village where the men lived will look after their own and the Owner of the Mine would have taken out Insurance for the workers, it is a very
small Mine. Hain is just grandstanding on a tragedy.IMO

I agree, he is making political capital out of a tragedy. Absolutely despicable. And I don't like the way society is moving by the immediate assumption that all tragedies can somehow be "eased" by money.

Hain was considered an anarchist in the 60"s and it was a surprise that he turned to Politics. I have never liked him and he has done little as Minister for Wales. I remember there was some scandal about him but can"t remember what it was. I think it is O.K. to have a collection for the Widows and their Families, not for their grief to be eased but maybe to help with Funeral expenses and pay off some loans the Families probably have , more a
practicality if you like.

Hi Panda, from Wikepedia
Resignation following donations scandal The Guardian newspaper, on 10 January 2008, noted that Hain was being accused of not reporting £100,000 in contributions. It later emerged that a large part of these funds were channeled through a non-operating think tank, the Progressive Policies Forum.[19] A separate £82,000 was reported. On 12 January, Peter Hain released a statement saying that, being busy with his government jobs, it was simply forgotten about, and said it was absurd to think any misconduct took place, and that he would pay back £25,000 of the money.[citation needed]

The list of hidden donations included money from Steve Morgan, who was in charge of the deputy leadership bid, and Isaac Kaye, who had previously donated to the National Party in South Africa, who were pro-apartheid.[citation needed]

On 24 January 2008, he resigned from several posts including his position as Work and Pensions secretary, after the Electoral Commission referred the failure to report donations to Metropolitan Police. He cited a desire to "clear his name" as the reason for his resignation. Peter Hain was the first person to resign from Gordon Brown's cabinet. He was replaced as Secretary of State for Wales by Paul Murphy, and as Secretary for Work and Pensions by James Purnell in a forced cabinet reshuffle.[20]

Peter Hain's campaign failed to declare £103,156 of donations, contrary to electoral law.[21] On 3 July 2008, the Metropolitan Police announced that they had referred Peter Hain's case to the Crown Prosecution Service.[22] On 5 December 2008 the CPS announced that Hain would not be charged because Hain did not control the members' association Hain4Labour that funded his campaign.[

Another corrupt Politician........no wonder the Country is in such a state and we have Cameron and Sarkozy visiting Libya and offering aid as if we canafford it. I know it"s the Oil they are after but how about using Gaddafi"s Billions in various Banks? Thanks malena, Peter Hain really is a slippery
customer.

Strangely or amazingly enough Panda, he's not even English. He was born in Kenya in 1950, coming here to the UK from South Africa with his parents, in 1966 as a 16 year old because of his and his families anti apartheid views. In 1972, a private prosecution brought by Francis Bennion over his leadership of the direct-action interference with the S/A tour resulted in a ten day Old Bailey trial with the jury failing to agree on three charges and hence he was acquitted on those charges, but Hain was found guilty of criminal conspiracy and fined £200. He appealed against the conviction in 1973. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal with costs. As reported in the Daily Telegraph of 23 October 1973, the court said his conviction was "fully justified". Lord Justice Roskill said Hain had not elected to give evidence, adding that "He gave no explanation of his part over the incidents with which he was charged.(from Wikipedia)
Well, possessing a criminal record and not being born here in the UK gives him a head start for a full and profitable life in Parliament..

Yes malena, his credentials certainly fit the criteria for a career in Politics.