MineArchiveExplosion disasters
Firedamp, coal dust or blasting explosions underground.
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6 disasters in the 1960s, of 502.
| Disaster | Date | Type | Region | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Six Bells Colliery explosion, 1960 A firedamp and coal dust explosion tore through the 'W' district of the Old Coal seam at Six Bells Colliery, Abertillery, at about 10:45 on the morning of 28 June 1960. Forty-five of the 48 men working in the district were killed. It remains the worst colliery disaster in Britain since the Second World War. |
28 June 1960 | Explosion | Blaenau Gwent | 45 |
| Cardowan Colliery explosion, 1960 Shortly before 7 p.m. on 25 July 1960, as a party led by the Group Manager and the District Inspector came away from clearing an airway over a roof fall on No. 4 East face at Cardowan, firedamp exploded behind them and flame swept the intake. The district had been sealed for six months after a fire. Three men working on the gas drainage pipes in the return were killed and seven were burned, one of whom died a week later. The Deputy Chief Inspector concluded that half-burned coal had reheated once fresh air reached it. |
25 July 1960 | Explosion | North Lanarkshire | 4 |
| Hapton Valley Colliery explosion, 1962 A gas explosion at Hapton Valley Colliery just after 9.45am on 22 March 1962 killed 16 men outright, with three more later dying of their injuries, in a mine whose seams were already known to carry unusually high levels of firedamp. |
22 March 1962 | Explosion | Lancashire | 19 |
| Tower Colliery explosion, 1962 At 10.30 a.m. on 12 April 1962 firedamp exploded in the MC3 heading at Tower Colliery, Hirwaun, as electricians restored power after extending a cable. The heading's auxiliary fan had been stopped for about ninety minutes; nine men resting at the foot of the heading were killed and nine injured. |
1962 | Explosion | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 9 |
| Cefn Parc Arlais Colliery explosion, 1964 An explosion of firedamp at Cefn Parc Arlais Colliery, Bryn, killed three men on the morning of 15 June 1964; the deputy's safety lamp was found with its gauze rusted and partly burned away. |
15 June 1964 | Explosion | Neath Port Talbot | 3 |
| Cambrian Colliery explosion, 1965 A firedamp explosion at Cambrian Colliery, caused by an electrical arc igniting gas that had built up after a ventilation structure was left open for over two hours, killed 30 men on 17 May 1965 — the last major mining disaster in South Wales history. |
17 May 1965 | Explosion | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 30 |