View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Friday 16 September 2011

Friday 16 September

. ... .(,)
. . _.-ﺜ-._
. . |. . . . |
. . |. . . . |..A candle burns in memory for the Welsh Miners in Swansea.
. . |. . . . |
. . [♥ღღ♥]..Please keep the candle burning

Yesterday, a group of four miners became trapped in a small coalmine north of Swansea, South Wales. A fall occurred in one of the mine shafts and the exit routes became flooded. A search and rescue operation was mounted, requiring the use of divers and the pumping out of large volumes of water. As the day progressed, the missing miners were all located - deceased.

Mining in the UK took a huge tumble in the wake of the 1984/85 miners' strike, and very few collieries remain open today. One reason is the imports of cheap coal from places like Poland and South Africa; the other is geological conditions which make mining in this country a hugely expensive operation. Being a mineworker is one of the most dangerous occupations, as is demonstrated again in Wales this week.