First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth will lead a moment of reflection on 21 October to mark 60 years since the Aberfan disaster.
He will attend the official remembrance event in Aberfan, where the collapse of a colliery spoil tip in 1966 killed 144 people, including 116 children. Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams MS, Aberfan Trustees and other community representatives will also be present.
The First Minister has invited organisations across Wales to consider observing a minute’s silence at 9.15am, the time of the disaster. The Welsh Government will mark the anniversary with a minute’s silence for staff across its estate.
Reflecting on the forthcoming anniversary, Mr ap Iorwerth said: “The tragedy of Aberfan continues to echo down the decades. The community was devastated by the events of October 21st 1966, but it continues to resonate deeply across Wales, the wider United Kingdom, and indeed across the world.
“The impact is reflected in the memorial gardens across Wales, not just in Aberfan, but also in places like Menai Bridge where people commemorated all those who died at Aberfan, as well as all of those whose lives were changed forever in that moment.
“The forthcoming 60th anniversary is an opportunity for Wales to honour the memory of those who were lost. I invite organisations across Wales to consider observing a minute of silence at 9.15am to reflect on the events of sixty years ago, and to do so in a way that is relevant and appropriate to them.”
