Wittenoom: An Australian Tragedy

Bronwen Duke has lost most of her family because they once lived in Wittenoom.

The town in Western Australia sprang up around a blue asbestos mine in the 1940s and '50s.

But many in Wittenoom were unaware that asbestos fibres can cause lung disease and cancer.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of residents have since died from exposure to asbestos.

The mine closed in 1966. But the town is still polluted and is almost completely abandoned.

Witness: The stories of our times told by the people who were there. The programme can be seen on BBC World News on Saturday 30 June and Sunday 1 July 2018.