WEBVTT 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Roaring, rushing noises] 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 People: Whoa. Whoa. That's bad. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Announcer] It's Sunday, and the side of a mountain has just collapsed. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It crashes through the river that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 runs through the Rhondda Var, near [?] town. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Nobody is injured, but it's only today 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the sheer scale of that collapse is obvious. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Something else that is clear 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is the amount of coal 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that was still on this mountainside. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Gerald watched it all happen. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Gerald] There was a roar, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and you could see the muck slip from the top area, there. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Within a couple of hours, the whole lot had come down there. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Announcer] Do you feel vulnerable? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Gerald] Yeah. Yeah. With this going on, yeah. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 These valleys are surrounded by coal. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They were built on coal. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's a frightening prospect, you know. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If that could've happened 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on this side of the mountain, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it would be a totally different outcome. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Announcer] His father Cliff is a former miner. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You look at this landslide now, what goes through your mind? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Mr. Durham] Aberfan. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Believe me, we don't want to see that again. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I wouldn't. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Announcer] I've been speaking to people 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on this street. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's Bryn Hailog, and it's opposite to the landslide. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They described yesterday as eerie. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The sound of slurry crashing down the mountain. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They are just thankful that this happened 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in front of their homes, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 not behind them. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The greenery of the valleys 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 disguises the amount of coal that is still hidden here. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the land was reclaimed. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But now, there are calls by local people, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to inspect all the areas where coal was dumped. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Chris Bryant] We should definitely 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 be inspecting all the former coal tips. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Making sure that if there is excessive water in there, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that that is being drained off, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 make sure everything is safe. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Because obviously, people have seen the horrific pictures 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on television news, of what's happened in Ponte Guy. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 People might not have seen it for themselves. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It is much bigger than it looked on television. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So, people are, of course, worried. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It is one thing, having water coming, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 coursing through your house. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It is quite another, having, um, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 slurry, and the top of the mountain 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 coming down through your house. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Announcer] But, who is responsible? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Who owns the land? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Coal Authority says, it's not them. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Councils say, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they're not sure if they do. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Who is responsible for these sites, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and who is maintaining them? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Andrew Morgan] At present, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we are in discussion with 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Natural Resources, Wales. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Clears on the side of the hill. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It is the big one. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Rhondda Var is a concern to us. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We have engineers on site right now, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 monitoring it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Announcer] Do you think that is your land, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or Natural Resources Wales' land? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Mr. Morgan] We are still in discussion over that. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Um, but at present, we have engineers on site, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 trying to understand if there is a risk 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to the properties, or the public. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Certainly there is some concern 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 about the moment that happened yesterday, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and what's caused it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Is it just water on the surface, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or is there a deeper issue within the mountain? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That is currently under investigation. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Rushing noises.] 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Announcer] This is what happened 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 after a weekend of heavy rain. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 These valleys know all too well 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of the histories with landslides. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Now, some are questioning 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 whether this was a one-off, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or an early warning. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Rob Osbourne, ITV News.