WEBVTT 00:00:00.324 --> 00:00:02.111 [Roaring, rushing noises] 00:00:02.111 --> 00:00:06.211 People: Whoa. Whoa. That's bad. 00:00:06.211 --> 00:00:09.993 [Announcer] It's Sunday, and the side of a mountain has just collapsed. 00:00:09.993 --> 00:00:12.612 It crashes through the river that 00:00:12.612 --> 00:00:15.229 runs through the Rhondda Var, near Tylorstown. 00:00:15.229 --> 00:00:17.862 Nobody is injured, but it's only today 00:00:17.862 --> 00:00:21.044 the sheer scale of that collapse is obvious. 00:00:21.044 --> 00:00:22.794 Something else that is clear 00:00:22.794 --> 00:00:24.311 is the amount of coal 00:00:24.311 --> 00:00:26.946 that was still on this mountainside. 00:00:26.946 --> 00:00:29.095 Gerald watched it all happen. 00:00:29.095 --> 00:00:30.878 [Gerald Durham] There was a roar, 00:00:30.878 --> 00:00:32.544 and you could see the muck 00:00:32.544 --> 00:00:35.046 starting to slip from the top area, there. 00:00:35.046 --> 00:00:37.945 Within a couple of hours, the whole lot had come down there. 00:00:37.945 --> 00:00:39.912 [Announcer] Do you feel vulnerable? 00:00:39.912 --> 00:00:42.844 [Gerald] Yeah. Yeah. With this going on, yeah. 00:00:42.844 --> 00:00:45.278 These valleys are surrounded by coal. 00:00:45.278 --> 00:00:47.161 They were built on coal. 00:00:47.161 --> 00:00:50.862 It's a frightening prospect, you know. 00:00:50.862 --> 00:00:52.462 If that could've happened 00:00:52.462 --> 00:00:53.945 on this side of the mountain, 00:00:53.945 --> 00:00:56.195 it would be a totally different outcome. 00:00:56.195 --> 00:00:58.780 [Announcer] His father Cliff is a former miner. 00:00:58.780 --> 00:01:01.879 You look at this landslide now, what goes through your mind? 00:01:01.879 --> 00:01:04.396 [Cliff Durham] Oh, Aberfan, straight away. 00:01:04.396 --> 00:01:07.479 Believe me, we don't want to see that again. 00:01:07.479 --> 00:01:08.745 I wouldn't. 00:01:08.745 --> 00:01:10.696 [Announcer] I've been speaking to people 00:01:10.696 --> 00:01:11.979 on this street. 00:01:11.979 --> 00:01:14.513 It's Bryn Heulog, and it's opposite to the landslide. 00:01:14.513 --> 00:01:16.496 They described yesterday as eerie. 00:01:16.496 --> 00:01:19.180 The sound of slurry crashing down the mountain. 00:01:19.180 --> 00:01:21.547 They are just thankful that this happened 00:01:21.547 --> 00:01:23.447 in front of their homes, 00:01:23.447 --> 00:01:24.997 not behind them. 00:01:24.997 --> 00:01:27.281 The greenery of the valleys 00:01:27.281 --> 00:01:30.314 disguises the amount of coal that is still hidden here. 00:01:30.314 --> 00:01:32.913 In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, 00:01:32.913 --> 00:01:34.979 the land was reclaimed. 00:01:34.979 --> 00:01:37.994 But now, there are calls by local people, 00:01:37.994 --> 00:01:41.947 to inspect all the areas where coal was dumped. 00:01:41.947 --> 00:01:43.648 [Chris Bryant] We should definitely 00:01:43.648 --> 00:01:45.761 be inspecting all the former coal tips. 00:01:45.761 --> 00:01:48.612 Making sure that if there is excessive water in there, 00:01:48.612 --> 00:01:50.462 that that is being drained off, 00:01:50.462 --> 00:01:52.246 make sure everything is safe. 00:01:52.246 --> 00:01:55.414 Because obviously, people have seen the horrific pictures 00:01:55.414 --> 00:01:58.245 on television news, of what's happened in Ponte Guy. 00:01:58.245 --> 00:02:00.612 People might not have seen it for themselves. 00:02:00.612 --> 00:02:03.331 It is much bigger than it looked on television. 00:02:03.331 --> 00:02:05.664 So, people are, of course, worried. 00:02:05.664 --> 00:02:07.913 It is one thing, having water coming, 00:02:07.913 --> 00:02:09.581 coursing through your house. 00:02:09.581 --> 00:02:11.578 It is quite another, having, um, 00:02:11.578 --> 00:02:13.580 slurry, and the top of the mountain 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:15.448 coming down through your house. 00:02:15.448 --> 00:02:17.447 [Announcer] But, who is responsible? 00:02:17.447 --> 00:02:18.781 Who owns the land? 00:02:18.781 --> 00:02:20.749 The Coal Authority says, it's not them. 00:02:20.749 --> 00:02:22.115 The Councils say, 00:02:22.115 --> 00:02:23.747 they're not sure if they do. 00:02:23.747 --> 00:02:25.631 Who is responsible for these sites, 00:02:25.631 --> 00:02:27.331 and who is maintaining them? 00:02:27.331 --> 00:02:28.532 [Andrew Morgan] At present, 00:02:28.532 --> 00:02:30.130 we are in discussion with 00:02:30.130 --> 00:02:31.731 Natural Resources, Wales. 00:02:31.731 --> 00:02:33.530 Clears on the side of the hill. 00:02:33.530 --> 00:02:34.846 It is the big one. 00:02:34.846 --> 00:02:36.731 Rhondda Var is a concern to us. 00:02:36.731 --> 00:02:38.530 We have engineers on site right now, 00:02:38.530 --> 00:02:39.615 monitoring it. 00:02:39.615 --> 00:02:41.180 [Announcer] Do you think that is your land, 00:02:41.180 --> 00:02:42.582 or Natural Resources Wales' land? 00:02:42.582 --> 00:02:43.881 [Mr. Morgan] We are still in discussion over that. 00:02:43.881 --> 00:02:45.414 Um, but at present, we have engineers on site, 00:02:45.414 --> 00:02:47.097 trying to understand if there is a risk 00:02:47.097 --> 00:02:49.013 to the properties, or the public. 00:02:49.013 --> 00:02:50.914 Certainly there is some concern 00:02:50.914 --> 00:02:52.814 about the moment that happened yesterday, 00:02:52.814 --> 00:02:54.215 and what's caused it. 00:02:54.215 --> 00:02:55.981 Is it just water on the surface, 00:02:55.981 --> 00:02:58.181 or is there a deeper issue within the mountain? 00:02:58.181 --> 00:02:59.831 That is currently under investigation. 00:02:59.831 --> 00:03:02.132 [Rushing noises.] 00:03:02.132 --> 00:03:03.681 [Announcer] This is what happened 00:03:03.681 --> 00:03:05.731 after a weekend of heavy rain. 00:03:05.731 --> 00:03:07.830 These valleys know all too well 00:03:07.830 --> 00:03:09.931 of the histories with landslides. 00:03:09.931 --> 00:03:11.514 Now, some are questioning 00:03:11.514 --> 00:03:13.266 whether this was a one-off, 00:03:13.266 --> 00:03:15.232 or an early warning. 00:03:15.232 --> 00:03:17.699 Rob Osborne, ITV News.