Ten miners were awarded the Valour Orders, four, medals For Saving Lives, and two, medals of the order For Service to the Fatherland, 2nd degree.
Congratulating the miners and rescue workers the President noted the spirit of collectivism, mutual support and self-sacrifice that is characteristic of the Russian people and said that the whole country was following with anxiety the fate of the miners in distress.
At the same time, Vladimir Putin said it was necessary to upgrade safety precautions in the mining industry. He stressed the need to continue modernisation of production, introduce safer technologies, provide better equipment for paramilitary mining rescue units and of course to strengthen the industry’s economy in general.
The problems of the coal-mining regions must be tackled jointly by the federal centre and the regions, the President said.
The accident at the Zapadnaya coal pit in the Rostov Region occurred on October 23, 2003 when water burst and flooded the main shaft of the coal pit. As a result, 46 people were trapped underground. During a rescue operation that lasted several days the specialists of the Ministry for Emergencies and the mining rescuers managed to rescue 44 people some of whom had spent more than 6 days underground. At the time the search and rescue operation was stopped on October 29 one body had been found and another miner had been declared missing.