1 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Roaring, rushing noises] 2 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 People: Whoa. Whoa. That's bad. 3 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Announcer] It's Sunday, and the side of a mountain has just collapsed. 4 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It crashes through the river that 5 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 runs through the Rhondda Var, near [?] town. 6 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Nobody is injured, but it's only today 7 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the sheer scale of that collapse is obvious. 8 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Something else that is clear 9 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 is the amount of coal 10 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that was still on this mountainside. 11 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Gerald watched it all happen. 12 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Gerald] There was a roar, 13 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and you could see the muck 14 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 starting to slip from the top area, there. 15 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Within a couple of hours, the whole lot had come down there. 16 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Announcer] Do you feel vulnerable? 17 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Gerald] Yeah. Yeah. With this going on, yeah. 18 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 These valleys are surrounded by coal. 19 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They were built on coal. 20 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's a frightening prospect, you know. 21 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If that could've happened 22 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 on this side of the mountain, 23 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it would be a totally different outcome. 24 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Announcer] His father Cliff is a former miner. 25 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You look at this landslide now, what goes through your mind? 26 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Mr. Durham] Aberfan. 27 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Believe me, we don't want to see that again. 28 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I wouldn't. 29 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Announcer] I've been speaking to people 30 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 on this street. 31 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's Bryn Hailog, and it's opposite to the landslide. 32 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They described yesterday as eerie. 33 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The sound of slurry crashing down the mountain. 34 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They are just thankful that this happened 35 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in front of their homes, 36 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 not behind them. 37 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The greenery of the valleys 38 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 disguises the amount of coal that is still hidden here. 39 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, 40 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the land was reclaimed. 41 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But now, there are calls by local people, 42 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to inspect all the areas where coal was dumped. 43 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Chris Bryant] We should definitely 44 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 be inspecting all the former coal tips. 45 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Making sure that if there is excessive water in there, 46 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that that is being drained off, 47 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 make sure everything is safe. 48 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Because obviously, people have seen the horrific pictures 49 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 on television news, of what's happened in Ponte Guy. 50 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 People might not have seen it for themselves. 51 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It is much bigger than it looked on television. 52 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, people are, of course, worried. 53 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It is one thing, having water coming, 54 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 coursing through your house. 55 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It is quite another, having, um, 56 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 slurry, and the top of the mountain 57 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 coming down through your house. 58 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Announcer] But, who is responsible? 59 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Who owns the land? 60 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The Coal Authority says, it's not them. 61 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The Councils say, 62 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they're not sure if they do. 63 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Who is responsible for these sites, 64 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and who is maintaining them? 65 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Andrew Morgan] At present, 66 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we are in discussion with 67 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Natural Resources, Wales. 68 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Clears on the side of the hill. 69 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It is the big one. 70 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Rhondda Var is a concern to us. 71 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We have engineers on site right now, 72 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 monitoring it. 73 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Announcer] Do you think that is your land, 74 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or Natural Resources Wales' land? 75 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Mr. Morgan] We are still in discussion over that. 76 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Um, but at present, we have engineers on site, 77 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 trying to understand if there is a risk 78 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to the properties, or the public. 79 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Certainly there is some concern 80 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 about the moment that happened yesterday, 81 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and what's caused it. 82 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Is it just water on the surface, 83 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or is there a deeper issue within the mountain? 84 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 That is currently under investigation. 85 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Rushing noises.] 86 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Announcer] This is what happened 87 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 after a weekend of heavy rain. 88 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 These valleys know all too well 89 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 of the histories with landslides. 90 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now, some are questioning 91 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 whether this was a one-off, 92 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or an early warning. 93 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Rob Osbourne, ITV News.