0:00:00.324,0:00:02.111
[Roaring, rushing noises]

0:00:02.111,0:00:06.211
People: Whoa. Whoa. That's bad.

0:00:06.211,0:00:09.993
[Announcer] It's Sunday, and [br]the side of a mountain has just collapsed.

0:00:09.993,0:00:12.612
It crashes through the river that

0:00:12.612,0:00:15.229
runs through the Rhondda Var,[br]near Tylorstown.

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Nobody is injured, but[br]it's only today

0:00:17.862,0:00:21.044
the sheer scale of that collapse[br]is obvious.

0:00:21.044,0:00:22.794
Something else that is clear

0:00:22.794,0:00:24.311
is the amount of coal

0:00:24.311,0:00:26.946
that was still [br]on this mountainside.

0:00:26.946,0:00:29.095
Gerald watched it all happen.

0:00:29.095,0:00:30.878
[Gerald Durham][br]There was a roar,

0:00:30.878,0:00:32.544
and you could see the muck

0:00:32.544,0:00:35.046
starting to slip[br]from the top area, there.

0:00:35.046,0:00:37.945
Within a couple of hours,[br]the whole lot had come down there.

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[Announcer] Do you feel vulnerable?

0:00:39.912,0:00:42.844
[Gerald] Yeah. Yeah.[br]With this going on, yeah.

0:00:42.844,0:00:45.278
These valleys are surrounded by coal.

0:00:45.278,0:00:47.161
They were built on coal.

0:00:47.161,0:00:50.862
It's a frightening prospect,[br]you know.

0:00:50.862,0:00:52.462
If that could've happened

0:00:52.462,0:00:53.945
on this side of the mountain,

0:00:53.945,0:00:56.195
it would be a totally different outcome.

0:00:56.195,0:00:58.780
[Announcer] His father Cliff[br]is a former miner.

0:00:58.780,0:01:01.879
You look at this landslide now,[br]what goes through your mind?

0:01:01.879,0:01:04.396
[Cliff Durham] Oh, Aberfan,[br]straight away.

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Believe me, we don't want[br]to see that again.

0:01:07.479,0:01:08.745
I wouldn't.

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[Announcer] I've been[br]speaking to people

0:01:10.696,0:01:11.979
on this street.

0:01:11.979,0:01:14.513
It's Bryn Heulog, and it's[br]opposite to the landslide.

0:01:14.513,0:01:16.496
They described yesterday as eerie.

0:01:16.496,0:01:19.180
The sound of slurry[br]crashing down the mountain.

0:01:19.180,0:01:21.547
They are just thankful[br]that this happened

0:01:21.547,0:01:23.447
in front of their homes,

0:01:23.447,0:01:24.997
not behind them.

0:01:24.997,0:01:27.281
The greenery of the valleys

0:01:27.281,0:01:30.314
disguises the amount of coal[br]that is still hidden here.

0:01:30.314,0:01:32.913
In the 1970s, 80s and 90s,

0:01:32.913,0:01:34.979
the land was reclaimed.

0:01:34.979,0:01:37.994
But now, there are calls[br]by local people,

0:01:37.994,0:01:41.947
to inspect all the areas[br]where coal was dumped.

0:01:41.947,0:01:43.648
[Chris Bryant] We should definitely

0:01:43.648,0:01:45.761
be inspecting all the former[br]coal tips.

0:01:45.761,0:01:48.612
Making sure that if[br]there is excessive water in there,

0:01:48.612,0:01:50.462
that that is being drained off,

0:01:50.462,0:01:52.246
make sure everything is safe.

0:01:52.246,0:01:55.414
Because obviously, people [br]have seen the horrific pictures

0:01:55.414,0:01:58.245
on television news, of[br]what's happened in Ponte Guy.

0:01:58.245,0:02:00.612
People might not have seen it[br]for themselves.

0:02:00.612,0:02:03.331
It is much bigger than[br]it looked on television.

0:02:03.331,0:02:05.664
So, people are, of course, worried.

0:02:05.664,0:02:07.913
It is one thing, having water coming,

0:02:07.913,0:02:09.581
coursing through your house.

0:02:09.581,0:02:11.578
It is quite another, having, um,

0:02:11.578,0:02:13.580
slurry, and the top of the mountain

0:02:13.580,0:02:15.448
coming down through your house.

0:02:15.448,0:02:17.447
[Announcer] But, who is responsible?

0:02:17.447,0:02:18.781
Who owns the land?

0:02:18.781,0:02:20.749
The Coal Authority says,[br]it's not them.

0:02:20.749,0:02:22.115
The Councils say,

0:02:22.115,0:02:23.747
they're not sure if they do.

0:02:23.747,0:02:25.631
Who is responsible for these sites,

0:02:25.631,0:02:27.331
and who is maintaining them?

0:02:27.331,0:02:28.532
[Andrew Morgan] At present,

0:02:28.532,0:02:30.130
we are in discussion with

0:02:30.130,0:02:31.731
Natural Resources, Wales.

0:02:31.731,0:02:33.530
Clears on the side of the hill.

0:02:33.530,0:02:34.846
It is the big one.

0:02:34.846,0:02:36.731
Rhondda Var is a concern to us.

0:02:36.731,0:02:38.530
We have engineers on site right now,

0:02:38.530,0:02:39.615
monitoring it.

0:02:39.615,0:02:41.180
[Announcer] Do you think that is[br]your land,

0:02:41.180,0:02:42.582
or Natural Resources Wales' land?

0:02:42.582,0:02:43.881
[Mr. Morgan] We are still in discussion[br]over that.

0:02:43.881,0:02:45.414
Um, but at present,[br]we have engineers on site,

0:02:45.414,0:02:47.097
trying to understand[br]if there is a risk

0:02:47.097,0:02:49.013
to the properties, or the public.

0:02:49.013,0:02:50.914
Certainly there is some concern

0:02:50.914,0:02:52.814
about the moment that happened[br]yesterday,

0:02:52.814,0:02:54.215
and what's caused it.

0:02:54.215,0:02:55.981
Is it just water on the surface,

0:02:55.981,0:02:58.181
or is there a deeper issue[br]within the mountain?

0:02:58.181,0:02:59.831
That is currently under investigation.

0:02:59.831,0:03:02.132
[Rushing noises.]

0:03:02.132,0:03:03.681
[Announcer] This is what happened

0:03:03.681,0:03:05.731
after a weekend of heavy rain.

0:03:05.731,0:03:07.830
These valleys know all too well

0:03:07.830,0:03:09.931
of the histories with landslides.

0:03:09.931,0:03:11.514
Now, some are questioning

0:03:11.514,0:03:13.266
whether this was a one-off,

0:03:13.266,0:03:15.232
or an early warning.

0:03:15.232,0:03:17.699
Rob Osborne, ITV News.