Share to ClassroomKing Meets Aberfan Families
King Charles and his family visited Aberfan, a village in Wales, on Wednesday. They met survivors of a disaster from 60 years ago. In 1966, a huge pile of coal waste slid down a mountain. It covered a school and some houses. 144 people died, and 116 of them were children. The King met the school's last living teacher and the last child saved alive.
The waste sat on the mountain for many years. Then it rained heavily for three weeks. Later, a report blamed the National Coal Board, the group that ran the mines. But nobody got in trouble.
Britain's Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, visited on Monday and said sorry to the village. Queen Elizabeth II waited eight days before her visit. People say this was her biggest regret. Today, Wales still has many old piles of coal waste. People worry that heavy rain could cause more landslides.
