Fellow survivor honours Beaconsfield miner Todd Russell after cancer battle

Brant Webb has paid tribute to Todd Russell, the miner rescued beside him after Tasmania's Beaconsfield mine disaster in 2006. Russell died aged 54 at home on Monday night, surrounded by family and friends after a prolonged cancer illness.

Webb said Russell had fought hard during his illness, just as he had during their time trapped underground. Russell had spent extended periods in hospital before returning home on November 3 to spend his final days there.

The two men survived for 14 nights after the Anzac Day rockfall at the gold mine. Their colleague Larry Knight died in the collapse. Russell and Webb emerged on May 9 in a rescue watched around the world, then used their public profile to raise money for rescue organisations and charities.

Webb also remembered Russell's service to his community. Russell volunteered with published reporting fire brigade for 31 years and rose to chief. Friends and local organisations have described his generosity, his commitment to Beaconsfield and his work beyond the rescue that made him widely known.

The tributes focus on a shared ordeal and a life of service. His death does not diminish the wider story of the workers, rescuers and families affected by the mine disaster.