LONDON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of colliery tips are to be inspected across South Wales, scene of one of the worse tragedies in British history.
Natural Resources Wales announced Tuesday it has awarded a five-year contract to the Coal Authority to undertake more than 300 tip and quarry inspections across South Wales.
The work involves 315 inspections at 291 sites, including disused colliery tips, quarries and civil engineering structures to ensure they are safe.
South Wales was the scene, on Oct. 21, 1966 of the Aberfan disaster when a catastrophic collapse of a colliery tip that had been created on a mountain slope above the Welsh village suddenly slide downhill, engulfing the local junior school, killing 116 children and 28 adults.
The disaster shook the world, turning Wales, the traditional Land of Song, into the Land of Tears, with memories of Aberfan still haunting local communities.
Darren Bryant, Public Safety Manager at the Coal Authority, said: "Regular inspection and monitoring of disused colliery tips and other historical mining features is important."
"As the government body responsible for managing the legacies associated with the historical coal mining industry of Britain, the Coal Authority has a vast amount of experience in the inspection, restoration and overall management of disused colliery spoil heaps and former mining structures."
Peter Cloke from Natural Resources Wales, said: "South Wales is unique in the fact we have such large numbers of people living next to our forests and using them for daily recreation, but due to our coal and steel industrial past, we have many legacy issues to manage to ensure we keep them safe."
