Emergency services and the UK Mines Rescue Service have rushed to Gleision Colliery, in a remote area of the Swansea Valley, South Wales. The alarm was raised at 9.21am, on September 15th, 2011, that seven miners were trapped underground. Mud and water flooded into the shaft, as part of the mine collapsed, but police have stated that there is no blockage.
Two miners emerged, shaken but uninjured, shortly before officers answered the call. A third man has been rescued since and airlifted to Morriston Hospital, in Swansea. His condition has not been made public. Four more miners are still underground. They are believed to be trapped in a ventilation shaft.
Major Rescue Operation at Gleision Colliery in Cil-y-Bebyll
Gleision Colliery is a small, privately owned mine, high in the mountains above Cil-y-Bebyll, near the town of Pontadawe, in the Swansea Valley. The coal is lifted from deep within the mountainside, overlooking the River Tawe. The mine is only one of four which have survived the mass closures of South Welsh pits since the 1980s. Some open cast mining has been worked on the site in the past, but this particular colliery opened in 1962 as a drift mine. It employs just seven miners, including the owner, who works underground with everyone else.
Urban and rope rescue teams are at the forefront of a multi-agency response to the crisis. BBC News reported that 50 rescuers are working to free the trapped Welsh miners. Ordinarily they are fire officers from both the Mid & West Wales and the South Wales Fire Services, but specialist training has kept these individuals in readiness for incidents like this.
Superintendent Phil Davies, of the South Wales Police, reported that the situation was changing on a regular basis, but that the rescue was multi-agency and 'dynamic'. He affirmed that the problem was water, rather than an earth blockage. He refused to comment upon rumours that lack of oxygen, even in the ventilation shaft, was rendering this a race against time.
Family and Friends Wait in Rhos Community Centre for News.
In Rhos, close to Cil-y-Bebyll, the community village hall has been opened for family and friends. As a small, close-knit village, all of the residents know the Gleision Colliery miners. South Wales Police Family Liaison Officers are keeping them informed.
Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, told BBC News that the community will all 'rally around, supporting each other.' She also confirmed that local agencies will be 'doing what they can' to keep relatives informed about the on-going rescue.
'No Difficulties in the Past' for Gleision Colliery and other Swansea Valley Drift Mines
Gleision Colliery has recently been extended, as another coal seam was discovered. Miners were working on this as a wall collapsed under the weight of incoming water and mud. This is an isolated incident for the drift mine, as it has enjoyed a clean safety record since it opened in the 1960s. Kirsty Williams MP confirmed that there had been 'no difficulties in the past' for either Gleison Colliery or any of the other drift mines in the Swansea Valley.
Cil-y-Bebyll councillor Athur Threlfall agreed, "This is the first mining disaster I have known for many years. There are not many collieries left like there used to be. However, it is a very worrying situation and it has shocked a lot of people."
Llywodraeth Cymru (the Welsh government) have released an official statement. Prif Weinidog Carwyn Jones is being kept informed of the ongoing situation at Gleision Colliery and the work of the rescuers. The Welsh First Minister added, 'Clearly, at this stage, our thoughts are with the individuals involved, and their families at this very difficult time.'
Sources:
- BBC News. Live coverage as it happened. (September 15th, 2011.)
- Llywodraeth Cymru, Statement on the Gleision Colliery incident. (September 15th, 2011.)
- Miners Advice, Cilybebyll nr Rhos, South Wales.
- Twitter, #GleisionColliery as it happened. (September 15th, 2011.)
Jo Harrington - Jo has a BA (Hons) in History and Philosophy and a MA in History. She has a book published on the history of Wicca.
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