One of the two miners to survive the Beaconsfield mine disaster, Todd Russell, has died at the age of 54.
Russell died surrounded by friends and family at home on Monday night after being diagnosed with leukemia more than a year prior.
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His son Trent Russell made the heartbreaking announcement on Tuesday morning.
“He fought an uphill battle, but like everything he did in life, his final moments were on his own terms,” he said.
“Last night, in the comfort of his own home and surrounded by loved ones, Todd/Dad took his last breath after six days at home filled with family, friends, love and laughter.
“Rest easy, you will be forever missed.”
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff also paid tribute to Russell in a post to social media.
“Thoughts this morning are with Todd’s loved ones and everyone who had the absolute pleasure of knowing him,” Rockliff wrote.
Russell had been receiving treatment in hospital for extended periods over the year prior, but decided to leave on November 3 so he could “see out” his final days at home.
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“After years of pain, uncertainty, appointments, treatments, setbacks and endless battles plus the emotional exhaustion of having to pick myself up time and time again, have left me with nothing left to give,” Russell said in a post to social media.
“The time has come medically and physically where there are no further options on either front for me and there is no more fight left in me.”
One of two survivors of the Beaconsfield mine disaster, Todd Russell has died at the age of 54. Credit: Sunrise It was the last in a line of brave decisions that Russell had made throughout his life, Russell’s friend and fellow Beaconsfield survivor Brant Webb said.
“If he’s saying he’s given everything, well, he’s given everything, mate,” Webb said.
“He’s not a half-hearted guy.”
Russell and Webb were among the 17 people working in the Beaconsfield gold mine just north of Launceston in Tasmania when a small earthquake triggered a rockfall on April 25, 2006.
Larry Knight, 44, was killed during the collapse while Russell and Webb became trapped in the basket of the vehicle they were working in. The remaining 14 miners managed to escape.
The pair were able to free themselves from the rubble and into a small area created by a “ceiling” of thousands of precariously placed rocks which became their home for the next two weeks.
Surviving on groundwater seeping through the rocks and a single muesli bar Webb had packed for his shift, the pair managed to keep their spirits high as rescue teams worked to clear the rubble and free them.
Russell was trapped underground for two weeks after an earthquake caused a massive rockfall. Credit: 7NEWS They were able to reach the trapped miners five days later on April 30 and delivered food, fresh water, medical supplies and even letters from their families.
In one letter to his wife, Russell jokingly asked for the Saturday’s newspaper because he would be looking for a new job.
He also asked if the local newspaper had caught wind of their ordeal, not knowing the global media attention the small town had attracted in the days since.
The plan to free Russell and Webb took another week to be formulated and put into action, they triumphantly walked out of the mine just before 6am on May 9 — 14 nights after the collapse.
Footage of the duo pumping their fists in the air, switching their safety tags to “safe” and running to embrace their families were seen around the world and become a symbol of Australian resilience.
Both men were whisked away in ambulances soon after for treatment on numerous injuries they suffered during the initial collapse and stress of the following weeks.
Russell shared a moment with then-Sunrise host David Koch, waving him into his ambulance to gift him his safety card. The miner would be discharged hours later, just in time to attend Knight’s funeral.
“I’ve always been a Sunrise fan,” Russell said in 2023 during Koch’s final show.
“When I found out that the media contingency was there and Kochie was there, I said …. ‘Make sure that fat bastard’s there when I get out’.”
He was trapped under a pile of fallen rocks alongside fellow miner and friend Brant Webb. Credit: 7NEWS Russell went on to become a pillar of his community within his local Australian Rules Football team and by serving as a volunteer firefighter for 31 years.
He also began working as a motivational speaker, recounting his time in the mine to help others better themselves.
But Russell announced he would be stepping back from the roles after being diagnosed in July 2024, meaning he unfortunately missed the 20th anniversary of the collapse earlier this year.
He remarried in May and paid tribute to his new wife, Donna Russell, in July.
“I would love to thank my beautiful wife Donna Russell for my beautiful day out today,” he wrote.
“Today is the first time in 19 weeks I have spent in my own home, roast meal cooked for lunch and time spent enjoying each other’s company.
“(I) didn’t want to come back to hospital. Thanks again my beautiful wife, love you so much.”
Russell became a pillar of his community, volunteering as a firefighter for 31 years until he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2024. Credit: 7NEWS Webb said the development will be a tragedy for Russell’s family.
“It’s a big thing for the kids, mate, you know, they only have got one dad,” he said, adding a special tribute to a mate he became trapped with more than 20 years prior.
“We were two guys stuck there, couldn’t escape.
“It was hard to keep each other positive, you know …. And we did that successfully with the help of a lot of rescuers.
“Any one of us can be taken tomorrow and we say farewell to Todd.”
Russell is survived by his three children and wife.