Russia’s Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev has died during a training exercise in the Arctic, the RIA news agency cited the ministry as saying on Wednesday.
The ministry said Zinichev had died while saving someone’s life but initially gave no further details, RIA reported.
The head of Russian broadcaster RT, Margarita Simonyan, said a cameraman had fallen off a cliff during an interview.
“He and the cameraman were on the edge of a cliff. The cameraman slipped and fell into the water,” she said.
“Zinichev rushed after the fallen man and died after hitting a protruding rock.”
He had been emergencies minister since 2018 and for years was reportedly a key member of President Vladimir Putin’s security detail.
Russian media say they had been filming a training film in the Krasnoyarsk region for the ministry at the time of the accident. A member of the camera crew also died after falling into the water, reports say.
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Russian Minister for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, Colonel General Yevgeny Zinichev (L) . EPA-EFE/ALEXEI DRUZHININ / KREMLIN POOL/SPUTNIK
