Asosiy ma’lumotlar

  • 1966-yil 21-oktyabrda ko‘mir ombori siljishi Aberfandagi maktabni ko‘mib yubordi: 116 bola jumladan 144 kishi halok bo‘ldi
  • Nensi Uilyams, 44 yosh, besh bolani yopib halok bo‘ldi; beshalasi omon qoldi
  • Fojia 60-yilligi munosabati bilan unga binafsha rang lavha o‘rnatiladi; qirollik oilasi keyingi hafta Aberfanga tashrif buyuradi

Besh bolani hayoti evaziga qutqarish

1966-yil 21-oktyabr, kuzgi ta’tildan oldingi oxirgi o‘quv kuni, ko‘mir ombori siljishi Aberfan (Merthyr Tydfil grafligi) dagi Pantglas boshlang‘ich maktabini va qo‘shni uylarni ko‘mib yubordi. Bir necha daqiqada 144 kishi, jumladan 116 bola halok bo‘ldi. Ovqat xodimasi Nensi Uilyams o‘sha paytda o‘quvchilardan tushlik pulini yig‘ayotgan edi. Omon qolgan, o‘sha paytida olti yosh bo‘lgan Pol Xarrisning so‘zlariga ko‘ra, u bolalarni stol ostiga yashirishga va o‘z tanasi bilan yopishga harakat qilgan. Qutqaruvchilar uning tanasi ostida besh bolani tirik topdi. Xarris birinchi marta OAVga intervyu berdi: «Agar Nensi Uilyams bo‘lmaganda, o‘sha ertalab 116 bola emas, 121 bola halok bo‘lardi. Bu biz bo‘lardik, yuz foiz».

Omon qolganlarning xotiralari

Hozir 66 yoshli Xarris kichik maktabdan Pantglas maktabi zaliga tushlik uchun bir shilling to‘lash uchun ketayotgan edi — uning so‘zlariga ko‘ra, siljish kichik maktabga tegmagan va bolalar tasodufan zarar ko‘rgan binoda bo‘lib qolgan. Siljish onini eslamaydi, lekin uni qazib chiqarilgani va yana to‘rt bola bilan birga kasalxonaga olib ketilgani esida. Uilyamsning jasorati haqida keyinchalik ota-onasidan bilgan. Boshqa o‘quvchi, Janet Bikli, Uilyamsni mehribon va sevimli shaxs sifatida eslaydi: «U bolalarni himoya qilishga harakat qildi. U halok bo‘ldi — ular esa omon qoldi». Uilyamsning o‘gay o‘g‘li (krestni o‘g‘li) Day Pauell uning xizmatlarini e’tirof etish uchun kampaniya olib bordi va uni o‘zining «asosiy qahramoni» deb ataydi.

Yodgorlik lavhasi va qirollik oilasining tashrifi

Fojianing 60-yilligi munosabati bilan Nensi Uilyams binafsha rang lavha bilan taqdirlanadi — bu Uels ayollarini jamoa hayotiga qo‘shgan hissasi yoki alohida jasorati uchun taqdirlaydigan mukofot. Binafsha lavha qo‘mitasi kotibi Rian Konnik Uilyams «o‘zini umuman o‘ylamagan, faqat bolalarni o‘ylagan»ini ta’kidladi. Lavha Aberfandagi qabriston yaqiniga o‘rnatiladi. Keyingi hafta Aberfanga qirol, qirolicha va Uels shahzodasi yillikni nishonlash uchun tashrif buyuradi; avvalroq vafot etgan qirolicha Yelizaveta II Aberfanga sakkiz marta tashrif buyurgan edi. Xarrisning aytishicha, lavha Uilyams tarixini uzoq muddat saqlaydi: «Endi bu doimiy narsa. Odamlar uning tarixini o‘qib bilishlari mumkin».

A black and white photo of a woman smiling at the camera in front of bushes Image source, Family photo
Image caption,

Five children were found alive under the body of Nansi Williams following the disaster

A man in a blue and red check shirt looks at the camera
Image caption,

Paul Harries was giving his dinner money to Nansi Williams when the school was engulfed

A black and white photo of a digger working through the rubble, with people searching in the slurryImage source, Mirrorpix via Getty Images
Image caption,

When a colliery waste tip collapsed, slurry crashed into Pantglas Junior School, killing 116 children and 28 adults

Black and white photos of a woman stood up and a woman sat on a wall with a manImage source, Family Photo
Image caption,

Nansi Williams grew up in Aberfan and worked as a dinner lady and playground supervisor at Pantglas Junior School

A woman in a red and white dress
Image caption,

Janett Bickley recalled how all the children were very fond of Nansi Williams

A man in a white shirt next to a field of flowers
Image caption,

Dai Powell has led the campaign for Nansi's courage to be honoured with a purple plaque

The purple plaque that will be placed near the cemetery
Image caption,

The plaque will be placed near the cemetery in Aberfan

This image is a composite of two pictures of Caroline. In the picture on the left, she is smiling at the camera in a restaurant setting. She has long brunette hair and dark eyes. she is wearing a spotty blouse in various shades of pink, brown, orange and white. In the picture on the right, she is seen smiling in a selfie sat in a hospital bed. She is bald, with medical tubing and catheter lines behind her ear and going down her left shoulderRay Winstone has a big moustache, thick rimmed glasses and a blue blazer with military medals on the lapel, he is seen with Molly Ridge who is wearing a black dress made of fabric flowers and acts shocked to see the film starAerial shot of nine pupils sat at spaced desks in an exam hall