Diamond Jubilee: Queen opens Aberfan school on Wales tour

The Queen has opened a new primary school in Aberfan during the second day of her Diamond Jubilee tour in Wales.

She unveiled a plaque at Ynysowen Community Primary School and was greeted by hundreds of well-wishers.

A total of 144 people, including 116 children, died when a coal waste tip slid down a mountain, engulfing a school and surrounding houses in 1966.

Later, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will visit Ebbw Vale and Glanusk Park, near Crickhowell, Powys.

Since the tragedy, which all but wiped out an entire generation of the community's school children, the Queen has visited the community on four occasions.

The visit is a sign of her continued support for Aberfan.

The royal couple will also meet former steel workers and museum volunteers at a newly-refurbished works general office and archives in Ebbw Vale.

The Queen and the duke, on the final day of their visit, will the later attend a service at the town's Christ Church and meet community groups in a reception.

Finally, the visit will be crowned with a "Diamonds in the Park" festival in Glanusk Park, featuring rural activities and sports.

More than 100 young St John volunteers will meet the Queen on her visit.

On Thursday, the Queen started the first day of the tour in Cardiff with a <link> <caption>service of thanksgiving</caption> <altText>click through to story</altText> <url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17844904" platform="highweb"/> </link> at Llandaff Cathedral. More than 600 people attended.

Children waiting for the Queen to arrive in Aberfan

The royal couple then travelled to Margam Park, where they <link> <caption>met Wales' Grand Slam-winning team</caption> <altText>click through to story</altText> <url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17858450" platform="highweb"/> </link> .

They <itemMeta>news/uk-wales-17859394</itemMeta> with a visit to Merthyr Tydfil's Cyfarthfa Castle and Cyfarthfa High School.

The tour has attracted hundreds of well-wishers, but two men were arrested in separate incidents in Merthyr.