Aberfan disaster: Man who made first emergency call recalls 'saddest day' 60 years on

Dave Evans, now 86, tells of the moment panic unfolded as a coal waste tip engulfed a school and homes in the Welsh village

By LineZotpaper

Published20 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Dave Evans, believed to have made the first emergency call to the fire service during the Aberfan disaster in 1966, has described the morning that claimed 144 lives as 'the saddest day of my life'. Speaking from his home in the village ahead of the 60th anniversary, the 86-year-old recalled the cries of a woman shouting 'the school has gone' and his own desperate efforts to help rescuers amidst the rubble.

Nearly six decades after a collapsing coal waste tip destroyed Pantglas Junior School and nearby homes, Dave Evans still lives in the same house from which he telephoned the fire brigade on 21 October 1966. His call set in motion an emergency response that brought firefighters, police, ambulance crews and hundreds of miners who abandoned their shifts to help.

'There was a lady running up and down the pavement here shouting, "the school has gone, the school has gone",' Evans recalled. 'I remember it distinctly. As if it happened yesterday.'

After making the call, Evans headed towards the disaster zone, where he saw the surreal sight of house roofs lying intact in the middle of the road, swept from their foundations by the avalanche of slurry. Among the collapsed houses, he heard a young boy crying and crawled into the rubble to hold his hand, assuring him help was coming. The local GP later took over.

'It still hadn't dawned on me what had happened,' Evans said. 'But as the morning wore on, then it became more and more apparent.'

As part of this year's anniversary commemorations, the original fire engine sent to Aberfan after Evans' call returned to the village. The vintage vehicle, now owned by Norfolk Fire Museum, was confirmed as the first emergency vehicle to arrive through research involving South Wales Fire and Rescue Service call logs. Its owner, Henry Cotton, described meeting Evans as a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'.

Beci Newton, who helped lead the project for the fire service, said: 'Dave's quickness in making that phone call ensured that the emergency services were here as quick as they possibly could be and that rescue operation could start pretty much immediately.'

Evans said the anniversary feels more harrowing than the 50th. 'I don't know why, but it's more so.' The retired deputy head teacher's father had been deputy head at Pantglas Junior School but had retired months before the disaster. Evans still has a get-well card signed by his father's class of children, many of whom were killed.

'The 50th anniversary was harrowing, but this seems to be more so,' he said. 'There will never be a day equal to that. Never, ever.'

For Newton, the story must continue to be told as firsthand accounts become rarer. 'This is a story that we all have to keep telling,' she said. 'As the people who can tell their own personal story are no longer here, we become the people that carry that story forward for them.'

Analysis

Why This Matters

The Aberfan disaster remains one of the worst mining-related tragedies in British history, and its 60th anniversary serves as a moment for collective remembrance and reflection on safety failures.
Firsthand accounts like Dave Evans' are becoming increasingly rare, making their preservation urgent for historical understanding.
The return of the original fire engine underscores the importance of documenting emergency response history for future generations.

Background

The Aberfan disaster occurred on 21 October 1966 when a colliery spoil tip on a mountainside above the Welsh village of Aberfan became saturated with water and collapsed. Thousands of tonnes of slurry swept down the slope, destroying Pantglas Junior School and nearby homes. 144 people died, including 116 children. A subsequent inquiry placed blame on the National Coal Board for neglecting warnings about the tip's instability. The disaster led to changes in mining waste management and emergency planning.

Key Perspectives

Dave Evans (first responder and witness): Emphasises the raw horror of the morning and the importance of remembering what happened. He credits the miners who rushed to help, saying 'if it hadn't been for the miners that day, we might have been digging there today'. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (represented by Beci Newton): Sees the story as a critical part of its own history and stresses the duty to keep the narrative alive as fewer survivors remain. Henry Cotton (Norfolk Fire Museum curator): Highlights the value of preserving the physical evidence of the disaster response, not just the vehicle but the connection with people who were there.

What to Watch

The 60th anniversary commemorations on 21 October 2026, including potential public statements from officials on legacy lessons.
Ongoing efforts to record oral histories from surviving witnesses and victims' families.
Whether further tributes or educational programmes emerge from the fire service's project to reunite the original appliance with the village.

Sources

'The school has gone': The cries heard by man who called 999 as Aberfan disaster unfolded · BBC Wales

Checked

10 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 6 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedEvans made the first emergency call to the fire service.BBC Wales: “it’s believed he made the first call to the fire service that morning.”
SupportedEvans described the day as “the saddest day of my life”.BBC Wales: ““It was the saddest day of my life,” the 86-year-old said.”
SupportedA woman shouted, “the school has gone, the school has gone”.BBC Wales: ““There was a lady running up and down the pavement here shouting, ‘the school has gone, the school has gone’.””
SupportedThe disaster claimed 144 lives.BBC Wales: “A total of 144 people died, including 116 children.”
Partly supportedThe fire engine was confirmed as the first emergency vehicle to arrive in Aberfan.BBC Wales: “the vintage fire engine believed to have been the first emergency vehicle sent to Aberfan after his call.”
Partly supportedHenry Cotton called meeting Evans a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.BBC Wales: ““It is a very rare opportunity to meet people like Dave and it’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Cotton said.”
SupportedNewton said Evans’s quick call got emergency services there as quickly as possible and allowed the rescue operation to start almost immediately.BBC Wales: ““Dave’s quickness in making that phone call ensured that the emergency services were here as quick as they possibly could be and that rescue operation could start pretty much immediately,” she said.”
SupportedEvans said the anniversary felt more harrowing than the 50th.BBC Wales: ““The 50th anniversary was harrowing, but this seems to be more so,” he said. “I don’t know why, but it’s more so.””
SupportedEvans’s call set in motion an emergency response involving firefighters, police, ambulance crews and hundreds of miners who left their shifts to help.BBC Wales: “Evans’ early phone call to the fire service set in motion an emergency response that would bring firefighters, police officers, ambulance crews and rescue workers rushing towards the village.”
Not in the sourcesEvans was a retired deputy head teacher.