MOSCOW, November 21 (AVN) - The Russian Emergency Ministry's leadership is to begin a two-day training period on Wednesday, a spokesman for the ministry told the Military News Agency.
Emergency Minister Sergei Shoigu is to sum up the results of the ministry's activities in 2000 and to outline the tasks for the coming year. Shoigu is supposed to put an emphasis on the work of the ministry's regional departments and centres aimed at preventing man-made emergencies and establishing co-operation with local authorities, enterprises and organisations.
He will also dwell upon issues pertaining to personnel training as regards emergency consequences elimination and search and rescue operations, the spokesman said.
It is man-made calamities that take the heaviest toll of human lives in Russia. For instance, about 900 people have died in various disasters in the past 10 months, with over 80 percent dying in man-made accidents.
The Emergency Ministry says most people die because disaster units are not always informed timely, which delays search and rescue operations.