In Nizhny Novgorod, the memory of 24 firefighters who died at the Sormovo oil depot was honored: a chronicle of heroism and the Memorial Day ceremony.

      On August 1, solemn and mourning events were held in the Nizhny Novgorod region dedicated to the Day of Remembrance for fallen firefighters. This year marks the 49th anniversary of the tragedy on the oil tanker TN-602 — one of the most tragic events in the history of the domestic emergency services. The explosion at the Sormovo oil depot occurred on August 1, 1976, at 09:37. The firefighters of the Gorky fire department took part in the firefighting efforts to eliminate the consequences of the accident. As a result of the disaster, 24 firefighters and 9 crew members of the vessels perished. Today, the leadership and personnel of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod region, veterans of the service, and relatives of the fallen firefighters gathered to pay tribute to the heroes. The ceremony traditionally took place in two stages. At exactly 9:37, all fire departments in the region activated their flashing lights and sirens on fire trucks, uniting the region in a single wave of grief. At the territory of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod region, at the memorial complex "The Firefighter's Feat," colleagues, veterans, and family members honored the feat with a moment of silence and laid flowers at the foot of the monument. The culmination was a visit to the Sormovo oil depot. A mourning requiem was held here. A special act of remembrance was the lowering of a mourning wreath into the waters of the Volga from the board of the fireboat of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia "Vyun," symbolizing the unbreakable bond between generations of rescuers. The events concluded with a meeting of veterans with the young replenishment of personnel, for whom the history of the Sormovo tragedy serves as a main reminder of the price of professional duty. It should be noted that mourning rallies in memory of the fallen firefighters took place in all fire departments of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The crews of the departments listened to lectures and watched videos about the tragedy. Special attention was paid to young employees who learned about this historical event for the first time. Flags were lowered at the units, a minute of silence was observed, and wall newspapers and combat leaflets were published. In addition, on the eve of the memorial day, the leadership and personnel of the Main Directorate, together with veterans of the fire service, visited the burial sites of former combat comrades — firefighters and employees of the state fire supervision. Those gathered laid flowers on the graves of the heroes and honored their memory with a minute of silence. An important part of the work to preserve historical memory is caring for burial sites. The personnel of the structural units carried out work to improve the graves of employees who died while on duty.