'My great-grandad saved your life' - Aberfan survivor left stunned on school visit

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. 'My great-grandad saved your life' - Aberfan survivor left stunned on school visit3 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleHuw Thomas , Wales business correspondentandTony Brown , WalesBBCNoah has grown up hearing about the devastating landslip and the hero from his family on that day Gareth Jones was speaking to children about how he survived the Aberfan disaster when a little boy raised his hand. Noah, aged 10, held up a photograph and asked a simple question - did he recognise the man in the picture? "The hairs were standing on the back of my neck," Gareth said.

He looked closely - it was of the little boy's great-grandfather, Stephen Andrew, who had pulled Gareth to safety on that fateful day. On the morning of 21 October 1966, a colliery spoil tip collapsed on the hillside above Pantglas Junior School, sending tonnes of slurry crashing through the building and nearby houses. It killed 116 children and 28 adults.

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Recalling how he escaped, Gareth said: "There was a guy at the other side of the window. "He actually grabbed me and told me to run. "He later learned it was Mr Andrew.

Gareth has always maintained the school caretaker saved his life, pulling him to safety through a shattered classroom window as the disaster unfolded. But he had never actually seen a photograph of him. This all changed when he met Noah on a recent visit to Troedyrhiw Primary.

It is near where Pantglas Primary once stood in Merthyr Tydfil county, and the visit came as schools in Wales and around the world prepare to mark 60 years since the Aberfan disaster on 21 October. Getty ImagesThe disaster had a devastating effect on the small community of Aberfan"I was absolutely gobsmacked... that bit of the jigsaw has come together," Gareth said.

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Noah had grown up hearing about his great-grandfather's heroics. But his family had also suffered tragic losses on that day. ShutterstockStephen Andrew was a hero, saving many children from the rubbleOn the morning of the disaster, Stephen Andrew started the heating system at the school before returning home to nearby Moy Road.

He had a quick cup of tea with his wife and newborn daughter, before setting off back to work. But he watched in disbelief as tonnes of colliery waste poured down the hillside and buried part of the junior school. Quickly rushing to help, Gareth Jones was among the first of the youngsters he pulled to safety.

But the caretaker's two sons in the school, Kelvin and Malcolm, were buried in the rubble and would be among the 116 children who died. Gareth met the great-grandson of the caretaker who rescued him from the ruins of Pantglas Junior School in 1966"I'm just happy to hear the story," Noah said, describing his pride in his great-grandfather's efforts. Around him, his classmates listened intently as Gareth talked about how a seemingly normal school day turned into a catastrophe within seconds.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.