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[Roaring, rushing noises]

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People: Whoa. Whoa. That's bad.

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[Announcer] It's Sunday, and 
the side of a mountain has just collapsed.

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It crashes through the river that

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runs through the Rhondda Var,
near Tylorstown.

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Nobody is injured, but
it's only today

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the sheer scale of that collapse
is obvious.

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Something else that is clear

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is the amount of coal

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that was still 
on this mountainside.

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Gerald watched it all happen.

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[Gerald Durham]
There was a roar,

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and you could see the muck

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starting to slip
from the top area, there.

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Within a couple of hours,
the whole lot had come down there.

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[Announcer] Do you feel vulnerable?

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[Gerald] Yeah. Yeah.
With this going on, yeah.

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These valleys are surrounded by coal.

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They were built on coal.

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It's a frightening prospect,
you know.

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If that could've happened

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on this side of the mountain,

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it would be a totally different outcome.

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[Announcer] His father Cliff
is a former miner.

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You look at this landslide now,
what goes through your mind?

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[Cliff Durham] Oh, Aberfan,
straight away.

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

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I wouldn't.

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[Announcer] I've been
speaking to people

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on this street.

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It's Bryn Heulog, and it's
opposite to the landslide.

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They described yesterday as eerie.

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The sound of slurry
crashing down the mountain.

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They are just thankful
that this happened

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in front of their homes,

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not behind them.

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The greenery of the valleys

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disguises the amount of coal
that is still hidden here.

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In the 1970s, 80s and 90s,

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the land was reclaimed.

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But now, there are calls
by local people,

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to inspect all the areas
where coal was dumped.

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[Chris Bryant] We should definitely

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be inspecting all the former
coal tips.

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Making sure that if
there is excessive water in there,

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that that is being drained off,

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make sure everything is safe.

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Because obviously, people 
have seen the horrific pictures

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on television news, of
what's happened in Ponte Guy.

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People might not have seen it
for themselves.

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It is much bigger than
it looked on television.

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So, people are, of course, worried.

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It is one thing, having water coming,

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coursing through your house.

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It is quite another, having, um,

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slurry, and the top of the mountain

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coming down through your house.

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[Announcer] But, who is responsible?

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Who owns the land?

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The Coal Authority says,
it's not them.

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The Councils say,

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they're not sure if they do.

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Who is responsible for these sites,

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and who is maintaining them?

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[Andrew Morgan] At present,

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we are in discussion with

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Natural Resources, Wales.

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Clears on the side of the hill.

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It is the big one.

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Rhondda Var is a concern to us.

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We have engineers on site right now,

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monitoring it.

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[Announcer] Do you think that is
your land,

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or Natural Resources Wales' land?

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[Mr. Morgan] We are still in discussion
over that.

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Um, but at present,
we have engineers on site,

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trying to understand
if there is a risk

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to the properties, or the public.

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Certainly there is some concern

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about the moment that happened
yesterday,

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and what's caused it.

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Is it just water on the surface,

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or is there a deeper issue
within the mountain?

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That is currently under investigation.

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[Rushing noises.]

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[Announcer] This is what happened

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after a weekend of heavy rain.

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These valleys know all too well

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of the histories with landslides.

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Now, some are questioning

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whether this was a one-off,

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or an early warning.

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Rob Osborne, ITV News.