1960: Welsh pit blast
Forty-five miners were killed in a gas explosion at the Six Bells Colliery in Monmouthshire, Wales, on 28 June 1960.
Six teams of rescuers were quickly assembled after the alarm was raised, but their progress was hampered by roof falls and the large amount of gas still present in the mine.
An investigation concluded the likely cause of the explosion was a build-up of coal gas ignited by a spark from a falling stone.
From the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Archive. Originally broadcast on 29 June 1960.