Wales in mourning for victims of mining tragedy

The bodies of Phillip Hill, 45, from Neath, Charles Breslin, 62, David Powell, 50, and Garry Jenkins, 39, all from the Swansea Valley, were found in the flooded mine, as what started as a day of hope ended in tragedy.

The men – part of a group of seven – were working 90m (295ft) down in the colliery, near Pontardawe, South Wales, when disaster struck.

Three other miners managed to escape as the flood water engulfed the drift mine when a retaining wall holding back a body of water underground failed.

Of the three who escaped, one is now critically-ill in hospital, while the other two joined the rescue attempt to save their colleagues.

The initial optimism of the emergency services evaporated yesterday after the body of one miner was found at the bottom of the main shaft in the early hours.

The second man was found at 12.15pm in a different part of the mine, believed to be close to where he was working.

A third miner’s body was discovered at 3pm, and three hours later police announced the fourth man had been found.

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, said the tragedy had moved an entire nation and the world – as well as striking a chord with him. The Archbishop’s father worked as miner, who often told him about the dangers of working in collieries.

“There was a time when there were mines across Wales – and with them came accidents. We thought that those days were long gone, but sadly the events of the past two days showed that is sadly no longer the case,” he said.

“It is not an ideal occupation – my father was a miner and I knew firsthand about what a tough and dangerous job it was, and still is.

“So, my heart goes out to the families of those killed in Gleision Colliery. I hope they will gain some comfort from knowing that everyone in Wales is behind them. The whole community is heartbroken for them.

“Prayers will be said for them in churches across Wales tomorrow and I am sure people will continue to offer their support.”

The Chief Constable of South Wales Police, Peter Vaughan, said messages of support have poured in from people all over the world.

He added: “We’ve been humbled by the community spirit that’s been shown during this most tragic of incidents.”

The authorities will now switch from conducting a search and recovery operation to carrying out an investigation, he said, asking that the privacy of the families be respected.

He also thanked national politicians for the support they had shown.

Neath MP Peter Hain said the deaths of the four miners had been a “stab through the heart” of the local community.

He added: “This is the end we all feared but hoped against hope wouldn’t happen.

“Extraordinary courage was shown by the families right through the tortuous hours of waiting. We can’t imagine what they have been through.

“This has been a stab right through the heart of these local communities.

“There’s a long tradition of mining here but nobody expected the tragedies of past generations would come today.

“I pay tribute to the extraordinary, superhuman efforts of the rescue workers.

“They were remarkable. At least the families can cling on to this – nobody tried harder than those rescue workers. They worked relentlessly.”

The chief fire officer for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Richard Smith, also paid tribute to the rescue teams who worked tirelessly to reach the trapped miners.

“Ambulance and fire officers have all expressed to me that within 30 years of service they’ve never actually seen such conditions and worked in such conditions that they’ve had to over the last two days, to try and bring this to a satisfactory conclusion.”