The head of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, Evgeny Zinichev, has died in the country’s far north, officials confirmed on Wednesday. The minister was reportedly involved in a fatal accident while taking part in a drill.
In a statement, the Department confirmed that Zinichev “was tragically killed while on duty, while taking part in inter-agency exercises designed to protect the Arctic zone from emergencies, as he tried to save a person’s life.”
He had been inspecting a new fire station in the city of Norilsk as part of the visit.
The minister and a cameraman had been “standing on the edge of a ledge when the cameraman slipped and fell into the water. While there were numerous eyewitnesses, nobody had a chance to realize what was going on before Zinichev dived into the water after the man, who had fallen and hit an outcrop.
“He died as a rescuer”.