Russian Man Rescued After Being Adrift For 67 Days At Sea In A Small Boat

A 46-year-old Russian man identified as Mikhail Pichugin was rescued after spending more than two months adrift in a small inflatable boat in the stormy Sea of Okhotsk.

He was found by the crew of a fishing vessel about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from where he set off in early August. The bodies of his brother Sergei, 49, and nephew Ilya, 15, were found in the boat.

Pichugin and his family had set out to see whales, carrying enough food for two weeks. However, their inflatable boat lost its engine shortly after leaving Cape Perovsky in the Khabarovsk region on August 9.

The trio went missing while attempting to reach Sakhalin Island.

On Monday, the fishing crew spotted Pichugin’s small boat on the radar and, at first, mistook it for a buoy.

They were surprised when they found Pichugin, who had lost over half his body weight and weighed barely 50 kilos (110 pounds) when rescued.

Video from the prosecutor’s office showed Pichugin, emaciated and wearing a life jacket, anxiously pleading for help and crying, “I have no strength left.”

Pichugin was brought to a hospital in Magadan after his rescue, where doctors said he was dehydrated and hypothermic but in stable condition.

His wife was relieved that he was alive, calling his survival a miracle. She mentioned that their daughter had planned to join the trip but decided to stay at home instead.

Authorities have begun a criminal investigation into the incident, focusing on any violations of safety laws that could have caused the deaths of Pichugin’s family members.

Investigators are examining the inflatable boat and the circumstances surrounding their tragic journey.

Reference: Hindustan Times, BBC

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Source: Maritime Shipping News