A dark cloud is hanging over a Swansea Valley community awaiting news on four men trapped 90m (295ft) below ground, says MP Peter Hain.

 

Mr Hain was speaking after divers were forced to turn back as they tried to reach the miners trapped at Gleision Colliery near Cilybebyll, Pontardawe.

 

Charles Bresnan, 62; David Powell, 50; and Garry Jenkins, 39, from the Swansea Valley; and Phillip Hill, 45, of Neath, have been trapped for nearly 24 hours.

 

About 50 rescuers are at the scene.

 

Police are due to give an update at a news conference at 08:30 BST.

 

The Neath MP said it was a "harrowing" situation for families and friends awaiting news at a nearby community centre.

 

"There is no getting away from it, there is a dark cloud hanging over this community at this time," he said.

 

"I understand there is a really bad situation in the depth of the tunnel itself with debris and sludge and dark dark murky water."

 

Gary Evans of the South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team said there was zero visibility for the divers to work in, forcing them back.

 

He said they had hoped to find the men before water in the tunnel had been removed. The issue now was to remove the water as quickly as possible.

 

"Although the pumping is going well it is taking a long time."

 

Emergency services, called to the mine at 09:21 BST on Thursday, said it was not yet known exactly how the incident happened.

 

Two men escaped unaided from the drift mine - a mine cut into the side of a hill where the coal seam is accessed horizontally - before help arrived.

 

A third miner was rescued and taken to Morriston Hospital in Swansea where he is in a critical condition.

 

Wayne Thomas, official with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in south Wales, said all the men were experienced and specialist miners.

 

He said the priority was to remove the water as quickly as possible.

 

Mr Thomas said the rescuers were monitoring the water levels and checking ventilation and the gases coming out of the mine.

 

"Clearing the water has to be the main priority," he said.

 

Chris Margetts, from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said water was being pumped from the mine and oxygen was being pumped in.

 

"What we have determined is the miners are located approximately 90m underground," he said.

 

"They are down a 250m main route into the mine... there are numerous little tunnels and old workings which all potentially have air pockets in.

 

"They are experienced miners, they know the layout of the mine, they would know where to go in this situation.

 

"What we are dealing with is their egress out of the mine is full of water."

 

He said conditions in the mine were favourable and he was "very hopeful and optimistic" the men could be freed successfully.

 

Mine owners MNS said their thoughts were with the families who are awaiting news at a nearby community centre.

 

Mr Hain added: "All communities have been rallying round.

 

"We have not known an accident like this for a long time and we've not known this type of grim situation of the waiting and hoping against hope and the harrowing mood that has engulfed everybody despite the energetic and dedicated work of the emergency workers and rescue staff."

 

Meanwhile, a dedicated telephone line has been set up for members of the public to contact if they are concerned that relatives may have been involved. The number is 01792 555565.

 

Although most mines in south Wales are now closed, there are pockets of small-scale collieries still in operation.

 

Gleision Colliery, in operation since 1993, works coal under a very steep hillside above the banks of the river Tawe.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-14938287

Welsh mine rescue: One of four at Gleision mine dead

 

One of four miners trapped 90m (295ft) below ground in the Swansea Valley has been found dead, police say.

 

Rescuers are still trying to reach three others, trapped for more than 24 hours, in the flooded Gleision Colliery near Pontardawe.

 

The trapped men are Charles Breslin, 62; David Powell, 50; Garry Jenkins, 39; and Phillip Hill, 45. The dead man is the father of a miner who escaped.

 

First Minister Carwyn Jones said the focus is on getting the men out alive.

 

The dead man was found by rescue crews in a very deep part of the flooded mine at Cilybebyll earlier on Friday but rescuers have so far been unable to recover his body.

 

Flood water

 

Two miners were largely unharmed and are helping the rescue operation after fleeing as the flood water engulfed the drift mine when a retaining wall holding back a body of water underground failed on Thursday.

 

The third is in Morriston Hospital, Swansea but not believed to be as seriously ill as previously thought.

 

Families and friends who are at the nearby Rhos community centre have been informed of the news.

 

Mr Jones spoke to BBC Wales News website reporter David Dulin at the scene.

 

"There are four groups of people in there waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones. It's a very, very difficult time," he said.

 

"They have a lot of support, not just from Wales but around the world. Until we know the outcome, it's always going to be very difficult."

 

Asked about health and safety, he added: "Let's see if we can get these miners out alive, the focus has to be on that. An investigation can come after."

 

"All I wanted to do is come here and chat. The real work is being done at the Gleision mine. To think of a mining accident happening now is difficult to imagine."

 

Chris Margetts, from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said the dead miner was found on the "exit side of the body of water" and that it was "quite possible the team has been split".

 

Emergency services said they had not given up hope of finding the other three men alive and hope they have found their way in to an air pocket on the other side of the water.

 

Speaking to BBC Wales news website reporter David Dulin, Neath MP Peter Hain the mood at the community centre was "very sombre and down".

 

He said: "I've spoken to all the relatives and they are going through a nightmare which none of us can comprehend.

 

"The wife of one of them said to me 'I'd prefer not to know than know what I've been told. It's almost worse than knowing nothing.'"

 

He added that the families were being "very stoic" and were being warmed with tea and coffee at the centre.

 

He said the rescue workers were hoping to recover the body within the next couple of hours so he could be formally identified.

 

The alarm was raised at 09:21 BST on Thursday and members of the Mines Rescue Service, together with specialist divers, helpers from all over the country and the fire service, have been working through the night.

 

They were forced back during the night after debris made the water too murky.

 

Fresh rescue teams were brought in on Friday to relieve crews.

 

An expert listening device, which can detect movement deep underground, is the among the specialist kit being used.

 

'Working very hard'

 

Mr Margetts said it was a very "delicate" operation as care had to be taken not to damage the mine's structure. But he said the water levels are receding. Pumps are continuing to remove water from the mine and oxygen is being pumped in.

 

He said the rescue crews have now gained enough access to get teams down in wetsuits to start the excavation process.

 

They are continuing to pump out water, excavating the blockages and shoring up the tunnels.

 

"It is slow and it is steady, but as we're aware with previous incidents, these incidents take time," he said. "We need to do it properly.

 

"Everyone is working very hard, we just need a little bit of luck."

 

Gleision Colliery, in operation since 1993, works coal under a very steep hillside above the banks of the river Tawe.

 

It is a small drift mine working a coal seam from the Rhondda in a remote location cut into a hillside in the Swansea Valley

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-14944188

Welsh mine rescue: Third Gleision miner found dead

 

A third miner has been confirmed as dead as the search continues for one more man still trapped in a Swansea Valley colliery.

 

The men became trapped 90m (295ft) below in the flooded Gleision Colliery near Pontardawe on Thursday morning.

 

They are Charles Breslin, 62; David Powell, 50; Garry Jenkins, 39; and Phillip Hill, 45. None of the bodies have been recovered.

 

Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a "desperately sad situation".

 

"It's clear to me that everything that could be done is being done. The anguish of the families is intense," he said.

 

"There's going to be desperate sorrow."

 

Police said the families were in a state of "extreme grief".

 

Three other miners managed to escape as the flood water engulfed the drift mine when a retaining wall holding back a body of water underground failed.

 

Two of them have been assisting rescuers, while another was being treated in hospital.

 

Supt Phil Davies of South Wales Police said: "All our sympathy goes out to the families in what is an incredibly difficult situation," he said.

 

"I will reiterate the fact that this is still an ongoing search and rescue operation and all emergency services are fully committed to getting these miners out as soon as possible."

 

He added: "There is a lot of emotion here, this is a passionate rescue attempt, we care about these people."

 

The body of one miner was located at the bottom of the main shaft at Cilybebyll in the early hours of Friday and has now been recovered.

 

The second body was found in a different part of the mine at 12:15 BST, believed to be close to where he was working, and has not yet been formally identified.

 

Police confirmed at about 15:00 BST that a third body had been found.

 

Chris Margetts, from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The search and rescue operation is still ongoing.

 

"The water and oxygen levels are very good but the issue now is debris. We're using seismic listening devices so that any noises are investigated.

 

"Access has been gained into the main shaft at the bottom, we have cleared the blockage and got mines rescue crews who are able to enter and start searching the myriad of tunnels and offshoots of the main mine.

 

"They have to dig through silt because there is lots of debris to wade through."

 

Archbishop of Wales Dr Barry Morgan, whose father was a miner, said he knew exactly what was involved in the rescue operation.

 

"I remember from my boyhood the odd tragic accident," he said.

 

"These are close-knit communities, they rally round, these families won't be on their own," he added.

 

"They really offer great support to one another".

 

When the second body was found, Neath MP Peter Hain said it was "a terrible situation getting worse".

 

"It's just got worse and been a terrible blow to the families," he said.

 

Reacting to the news of a third body, Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones said: "My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with all of the families as this horrifying news filters through.

 

"I would like to pay tribute to the tireless work the rescue teams have done and continue to do throughout this incident.

 

"The people of Wales, and indeed people across the world stand together in solidarity with the families through this terrible tragedy."

 

The miner currently being treated in hospital had walked from the pit to tell rescuers of dragging and swimming through the water to the mine entrance.

 

The miner had swallowed pit slurry and it is understood he collapsed before being taken to Morriston hospital.

 

Meanwhile, Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan said she will be calling a civil contingency meeting in the cabinet office.

 

She said Prime Minister David Cameron had been in contact while on his way back from Libya.

 

Local councillor Rosalyn Davies, who had been with the families gathered at the nearby Rhos Community Centre, said: "They have been coping quite well up until the last death, but it looks like they're giving up now."

 

'Working very hard'

 

Mr Margetts said it was a very "delicate" operation as care had to be taken not to damage the mine's structure. But he said the water levels are receding. Pumps are continuing to remove water from the mine and oxygen is being pumped in.

 

He said the rescue crews have now gained enough access to get teams down in wetsuits to start the excavation process.

 

They are continuing to pump out water, excavating the blockages and shoring up the tunnels.

 

"It is slow and it is steady, but as we're aware with previous incidents, these incidents take time," he said. "We need to do it properly.

 

Gleision Colliery, in operation since 1993, works coal under a very steep hillside above the banks of the river Tawe.

 

It is a small drift mine - a mine cut into the side of a hill, where the coal seam is accessed by walking in.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-14949286

Really dreadful story. All 4 have been recovered. Reminded me of the horrible mining disaster in New Zealand last year.

 

Condolences to friends and families affected.

R.I.P.

R.I.P.