Queen visits scene of mine disaster

The Queen arrives at Easington in County Durham

The Queen has paid a visit to the scene of one of Britain's worst mining disasters.

She met rescue workers who battled to save miners after an explosion at Easington colliery, County Durham.

A brass band played as the Queen arrived at the pit which closed almost a decade ago.

The disaster claimed the lives of 81 miners, two rescue workers and two horses in 1951.

'Deathly quiet'

The Queen, on the second day of her Golden Jubilee tour, was introduced to three former rescue workers who still vividly remember the day of the disaster.

"We found the only survivor, an 18-year-old twin called Matthew Williams, but he died in hospital shortly afterwards," said rescuer George Otterwell, 77, who still lives in Easington.

"There was deathly quiet after the explosion and a dust haze.

I still think about the explosion. There were very, very few families here not affected by it

Arthur Bartholemew, rescue worker

"There was no sign of life but then we heard groaning and that was a great uplift, it sets the adrenalin going," said Mr Otterwell.

Fellow rescue worker David Patton, now 78, of Houghton-le-Spring, said: "There was total devastation, as we travelled into the mine we found several bodies."

Arthur Bartholemew, 84, from Easington, was a volunteer rescuer and lost his uncle in the disaster.

"I still think about the explosion. There were very, very few families here not affected by it," he said.

The Queen was presented with a bronze statuette of a rescue worker and visited a memorial garden for those who died underground at the pit which was finally closed in 1993.