Armed officers have been at the scene of a serious assault in a former mining village in south Wales, triggering the closure of nearby schools and a community centre.
One person was taken by ambulance to hospital after the incident in Aberfan, south of Merthyr Tydfil at about 9.10am on Tuesday.
South Wales police confirmed armed officers attended the area near Moy Road, while Greenfield school said on the social media site X that it was keeping pupils inside the building and had locked the gates. According to reports, nearby Ynysown primary school was also on lockdown.
A statement from South Wales police said: “Emergency services are responding to a serious assault that took place on Moy Road, Aberfan, Merthyr just before 9.10am.
“Armed officers are in the area, and we request that people avoid the area so that we can effectively deal with this incident.”
A statement from the Welsh ambulance service, also alerted to the incident, said:
“We sent one emergency ambulance, one air ambulance and one Cymru high acuity response unit to the scene where advanced critical care support was delivered by the emergency medical retrieval and transfer service.
“We conveyed one patient by road to University hospital of Wales, Cardiff for further treatment.”
Local reports said text messages had been sent to parents of pupils of Ynysown primary school, less than half a mile from Moy Road, that said the school was locked down “as a precautionary measure. All children are well, we will update parents in due course.”
Rhiannon Davies, the headteacher of Greenfield school, which is 2.5 miles away from Moy Road, posted on X: “We are aware of an ongoing police incident in Aberfan. We just wanted to reassure you that as a precaution we are keeping the pupils safe inside the building, and all perimeter gates are locked.”
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are aware of an ongoing police incident in Aberfan. We just wanted to reassure you that as a precaution we are keeping the pupils safe inside the building, and all perimeter gates are locked. Rhiannon S. Davies, Head Teacher of Greenfield School.
— Greenfield School (@Greenfield_Sch) December 5, 2023
The Trinity childcare and family centre also locked its doors, with all staff and children said to be safe inside.
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