Gleision Colliery mining accident
Encyclopedia
The Gleision Colliery mining accident is a mining accident
which occurred on 15 September 2011 at the Gleision Colliery, a drift mine in the Swansea Valley
of South Wales
. The accident occurred while seven miners were working with explosives on a narrow coal seam. Following an initial explosion the tunnel in which the miners were working began to fill with water. Three of the miners escaped, with one being taken to hospital with life threatening injuries, while the others were trapped underground. A search and rescue operation was launched to locate the four remaining miners, but they were found deceased the following day. The incident is the worst mining disaster to occur in Wales for three decades.
, north of Swansea
, West Glamorgan
on 15 September 2011. Seven miners were working a narrow seam and using explosives at the coal face. After an explosion at 09.21, the passage in which the miners were working rapidly filled with a large quantity of water. Three miners were immediately able to escape to the surface; one of these was taken by ambulance to Morriston Hospital
.
The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
requested the assistance of Mines Rescue units from Wales
and across the United Kingdom
, with the aim of rescuing the remaining four miners trapped at a depth of 90 metres (295.3 ft) below the surface. On 16 September South Wales Police
confirmed that all four of the miners had died. All family members were informed of the situation. At that stage formal identification had not yet been made, although the miners were named as Charles Breslin, 62; David Powell, 50; Garry Jenkins, 39; and Philip Hill, 44. Police officially announced the identities of the deceased miners the following day.
Cheryl Gillan
announced that an inquiry would be held into events at Gleision Colliery and that lessons had to be learned. She said the investigation would initially be led by South Wales Police
, then handed over to the Health and Safety Executive
. The need for an investigation was echoed by First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones
and Labour Party leader Ed Miliband
.
The Health and Safety Executive issued a joint statement with the Wales Office
on 17 September saying that it was too early to determine a possible cause, and that Health and Safety officials were on site at Gleision Colliery and working alongside the police. A spokesman said that the HSE would release its findings in due course. On the same day, Peter Hain
, the MP for Neath
, whose constituency covers the area where the Colliery is situated, said that he had spoken to the miners' families, but that none of the miners had reported any safety concerns at Gleision.
On 18 October 2011, the mine manager, Malcolm Fyfield, was arrested by South Wales Police
on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence.
agreed to become its Royal Patron
. On Sunday 18 September prayers were said at church services across South Wales to remember the dead. Sporting tributes were paid by Swansea City F.C. which held a minute's silence at its ground on the afternoon of 17 September, while the Welsh Rugby team
dedicated their win at 18 September's World Cup
match against Samoa
to the families of the miners.
The poem "Gleision", a reflection of the accident, was composed by Welsh Poet Laureate Gwyneth Lewis
who had visited the village only the previous day.
Mining accident
A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals.Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the processes of coal mining and hard rock mining...
which occurred on 15 September 2011 at the Gleision Colliery, a drift mine in the Swansea Valley
Swansea Valley
The Swansea Valley , one of the South Wales Valleys is the name often given to the valley of the River Tawe area in South Wales, UK. It reaches southwest and south from the Brecon Beacons National Park down to the city of Swansea. Today, administration of the area is divided between the City and...
of South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. The accident occurred while seven miners were working with explosives on a narrow coal seam. Following an initial explosion the tunnel in which the miners were working began to fill with water. Three of the miners escaped, with one being taken to hospital with life threatening injuries, while the others were trapped underground. A search and rescue operation was launched to locate the four remaining miners, but they were found deceased the following day. The incident is the worst mining disaster to occur in Wales for three decades.
Explosion and rescue operation
The accident occurred in the Gleision Colliery drift mine in the valley of the River TaweRiver Tawe
The River Tawe is a river in South Wales. It flows in a principally south-westerly direction for some from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach...
, north of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, West Glamorgan
West Glamorgan
West Glamorgan is a preserved county and former administrative county of Wales, one of the divisions of the ancient county of Glamorgan.West Glamorgan was created on 1 April 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 from the county borough of Swansea, the municipal boroughs of Neath and Port Talbot,...
on 15 September 2011. Seven miners were working a narrow seam and using explosives at the coal face. After an explosion at 09.21, the passage in which the miners were working rapidly filled with a large quantity of water. Three miners were immediately able to escape to the surface; one of these was taken by ambulance to Morriston Hospital
Morriston Hospital
Morriston Hospital is a 750 bed hospital located in Cwmrhydyceirw near Morriston in Swansea, Wales. Morriston is the largest hospital in the city and county of Swansea and is operated by Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board. Alongside its role as a district general hospital, Morriston...
.
The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service covering the ten Welsh principal areas of Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen and Vale of Glamorgan....
requested the assistance of Mines Rescue units from Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and across the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with the aim of rescuing the remaining four miners trapped at a depth of 90 metres (295.3 ft) below the surface. On 16 September South Wales Police
South Wales Police
South Wales Police is one of the four territorial police forces in Wales. Its headquarters are based in Bridgend.Covering Wales' capital city, Cardiff, as well as Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, and the western South Wales Valleys, it is the largest police force in Wales in terms of population,...
confirmed that all four of the miners had died. All family members were informed of the situation. At that stage formal identification had not yet been made, although the miners were named as Charles Breslin, 62; David Powell, 50; Garry Jenkins, 39; and Philip Hill, 44. Police officially announced the identities of the deceased miners the following day.
Aftermath
On 16 September the Secretary of State for WalesSecretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
Cheryl Gillan
Cheryl Gillan
Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan is a British Conservative Party politician. She is currently the Secretary of State for Wales, and the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Chesham and Amersham in Buckinghamshire....
announced that an inquiry would be held into events at Gleision Colliery and that lessons had to be learned. She said the investigation would initially be led by South Wales Police
South Wales Police
South Wales Police is one of the four territorial police forces in Wales. Its headquarters are based in Bridgend.Covering Wales' capital city, Cardiff, as well as Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, and the western South Wales Valleys, it is the largest police force in Wales in terms of population,...
, then handed over to the Health and Safety Executive
Health and Safety Executive
The Health and Safety Executive is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. It is the body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in England and Wales and Scotland...
. The need for an investigation was echoed by First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Howell Jones is a Welsh politician and the First Minister of Wales. The third official to lead the Welsh Government, Jones has been Assembly Member for Bridgend since 1999. In the coalition government of Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, he was appointed Counsel General for Wales and Leader of...
and Labour Party leader Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
.
The Health and Safety Executive issued a joint statement with the Wales Office
Wales Office
The Wales Office / Swyddfa Cymru is a United Kingdom government department. It replaced the former Welsh Office, which had extensive responsibility for governing Wales prior to Welsh devolution in 1999....
on 17 September saying that it was too early to determine a possible cause, and that Health and Safety officials were on site at Gleision Colliery and working alongside the police. A spokesman said that the HSE would release its findings in due course. On the same day, Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
, the MP for Neath
Neath (UK Parliament constituency)
Neath is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election and one Assembly Member by the first past the post system of election.- The Constituency of Neath :The constituency...
, whose constituency covers the area where the Colliery is situated, said that he had spoken to the miners' families, but that none of the miners had reported any safety concerns at Gleision.
On 18 October 2011, the mine manager, Malcolm Fyfield, was arrested by South Wales Police
South Wales Police
South Wales Police is one of the four territorial police forces in Wales. Its headquarters are based in Bridgend.Covering Wales' capital city, Cardiff, as well as Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, and the western South Wales Valleys, it is the largest police force in Wales in terms of population,...
on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence.
Public response
A charity, the Swansea Valley Miners Appeal Fund (Charity Registration Number 1143974), was launched on 17 September and had raised £30,000 within a day of its establishment. The charity was launched by Peter Hain, but is now administered by the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO, charity reg no 1015581) while Prince Charles, the Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
agreed to become its Royal Patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
. On Sunday 18 September prayers were said at church services across South Wales to remember the dead. Sporting tributes were paid by Swansea City F.C. which held a minute's silence at its ground on the afternoon of 17 September, while the Welsh Rugby team
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
dedicated their win at 18 September's World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
match against Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
to the families of the miners.
The poem "Gleision", a reflection of the accident, was composed by Welsh Poet Laureate Gwyneth Lewis
Gwyneth Lewis
Gwyneth Lewis is a Welsh poet, and was the first National Poet for Wales.-Biography:Born into a Welsh speaking family, Lewis's father started teaching her English when her mother went into hospital to give birth to her sister....
who had visited the village only the previous day.