Voice 1
Hello, I’m Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“The place is dirty and wet and dark. There is not much space. Tall people cannot stand up straight. I have to go down one thousand [1000] metres in a large metal box, a cage. I then walk more than three [3] kilometres to reach my work place. I have a light. But I cannot re-light it when it goes out. I cannot find my way in the dark. I must hold on to the end of a pony. These small horses know their way, even in total darkness. I will be happy when work finishes. Then I can see daylight again.”
Voice 2
Underground ... darkness ... restricted spaces - this man is a miner. He works in a mine. People have been mining substances from the earth for thousands of years. They have taken coal for fuel. They have mined metals such as gold and tin. Where there is a strong industry, mining is providing the materials.
Voice 1
In the twenty-first century, large industry has grown very fast in the miracle economies of Asia. India and China are the biggest examples. But where there is industry, there is mining. And where there is mining, there is danger.
Voice 2
In 2003, an accident happened at a mine in India. Miners had been working four metres down into the earth. They wanted to reach some fresh coal. So they used explosives to split the rock. But the explosion also buried the workers under tons of rock. Eleven [11] men were killed. This was the second accident in four months at this particular mine.
Voice 1
The country with the biggest problem with mining accidents today is China. Partly, this is because China has many miners. But the demand for energy there is very high - so mines have to increase their output of coal. Some people believe that high demand has led to more deaths. They believe mines have become less safe as the pressure to produce has become greater. In 2004, more than six thousand [6000] miners died.
Voice 2
The worst mining accident in history also happened in China. It happened in 1942 during the Second World War. At that time Japan was in control of China. A large number of Chinese people worked in the mines. The accident happened at Honkeiko Mine. Some coal dust caught fire underground. This caused a huge explosion. One thousand, five hundred and forty two [1,542] people died.
Voice 1
In the past, older economies had their fair share of mining disasters. Probably it takes time to learn to avoid them. In Britain, a tragic event over forty [40] years ago brought mining safety into the national news. Miners know that there are dangers working underground. However, this tragedy involved people who were not miners and they were above the ground.
Voice 2
It happened in a small village in Wales, part of the United Kingdom. There were many coal mines there once. These mines were the area’s biggest employers. It was on the twenty-first [21st] of October 1966. It began as just a normal day for the village people of Aberfan. The streets had been busy. People were hurrying to work or to school. A little later, the young children of Pantglas School had just finished singing. It was time for study. Jeff Edwards was one of these children. Years Later, he described what happened that day:
Voice 4
“Our teacher, Mr Davies was just starting to teach us. He was writing something on the blackboard. We heard a very loud noise. It sounded like something was moving very quickly. Things began to shake. The lights moved from side to side. Mr Davies told us not to worry. He said it was only a storm beginning.”
Voice 1
But it was not a storm. It was fast-moving coal waste. There was a small mountain above Aberfan. The local mine used the mountain as a ‘tip’. That is, they used it to store waste dirt and rock from the coal mine. However, under the tip was a small flow of water. This was not safe. The waste from the tip mixed with the water. It became liquid dirt. But people did not see this. The mine continued to pour its waste on the tip. The tip became huge. It was not firm. It was ready to fall. And it did - on that day in October 1966. Waves of liquid dirt ran down the mountain. The tip moved towards Aberfan.
Voice 2
Jeff Edwards continues his story:
Voice 4
“The next thing I remember was waking up. I was covered in waste material. I wondered what had happened to me. I could hear shouts for help. But I could not see anything. I could not move. I felt very afraid. I could see light through a small hole, high above me. Then I heard voices and I called out. The rescue workers started to pull the dirt away from me. After some time they got me out. They took me to hospital. I had head and stomach injuries.”
Voice 1
News of the accident travelled around the country. People came to help dig out the children. But they were too late. The tip had moved too quickly. It had buried the school in minutes. Jeff Edwards survived. One hundred and sixteen [116] children from his school did not. Twenty-eight [28] adults were also killed.
Voice 2
It took a long time to clean up the village. The people of Aberfan were in shock. But they had all decided one thing. The mining companies must destroy all the other coal tips in the area. A group of men from Aberfan went to see the top man in the government, the Minister of State for Wales. They took some bags of coal waste with them. Enos Sims was one of the men. He said,
Voice 3
“We decided to throw the bags of waste in the government building. This may have been a stupid act. But we needed to do it. The Minister of State for Wales looked at us. Then he started to cry. He agreed to ask for the tips to be removed.”
Voice 1
Forty [40] years on, the tips have gone from the Aberfan area. And, yes, there are now laws about coal waste in Britain - laws designed to prevent another Aberfan accident. Accidents are powerful teachers. But still, the memories remain for the people of Aberfan. And the memories remain in every community that has experienced a mining accident. And the question remains - will their experience lead to change, change toward safer mines?
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