Russian emergency services rescued a man who had been adrift at sea for more than two months in a rubber dinghy, but his brother and nephew died, authorities said Tuesday.
Prosecutors in Russia's Far East said the man was found by a fishing boat off the coast of the Kamchaka Peninsula on Monday and rescued in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Associated Press reported.
Russian news outlets identified the man as Mikhail Pichugin, 46, who set out on a whale-watching expedition with his 49-year-old brother and 15-year-old nephew in early August. According to the Associated Press, when the Angel fishing boat rescued Pichugin, their bodies were reportedly found on board.
According to media reports, the three visited the Chantar Islands off the northwest coast of the Sea of Okhotsk in early August. The two went missing after leaving Cape Perovsky in the Khabarovsk region for Sakhalin Island on August 9, and rescue efforts were launched, but they could not be found.
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This photo was taken from a video published by the official Telegram channel of the Russian Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. A Russian man who had been adrift in a rubber boat for more than two months was rescued by a ship. The photo is taken before being photographed. Fishing boats in the Sea of Okhotsk near the village of Ust-Khairzovo in the Kamchatka region of Russia. (Official telegram channel of the Russian Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office, via AP)
According to Russian media reports, the trio had only a small amount of food and about 5.2 gallons of water with them when their boat's engine failed and they were set adrift.
According to reports, the fishing boat's crew did not immediately recognize the sound on their radar as a boat and thought it was a buoy or junk. They are shocked when they shine a spotlight and find a starving man in a boat.
Pichugin reportedly weighed only 110 pounds when he was rescued, losing half his body weight.
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This photo was taken from a video released by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Press Service on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, showing Russian paramedics transferring Mikhail Pichugin, who was rescued by a fishing boat, to an ambulance on land. are. (Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Press Department, via Associated Press)
He did not immediately say how he survived the Sea of Okhotsk, known for its coldest and windiest conditions in East Asia, or how his brother and nephew died. The crew of the boat that rescued Pichugin found his body tied to the boat to prevent it from being washed away at sea, according to news reports.
When Pichugin's ship was discovered, it was floating about 11 nautical miles from the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula and about 540 nautical miles from its point of departure on the other side of the Sea of Okhotsk.
A video released by the public prosecutor's office showed a thin man frantically shouting, “Come on!” The Associated Press reported that he was rescued.
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Mikhail Pichugin was rescued by a fishing boat after being adrift for 67 days. (Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Press Department, via Associated Press)
“I don't have any strength left,” Pichugin told rescue workers as they worked to get him to safety.
Prosecutors said they have opened an investigation into the incident and are considering charges related to violations of safety regulations that caused the fatal accident.
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According to the Associated Press, Pichugin was taken to the emergency room of Magadan Hospital. His doctor, Yuri Rednev, told reporters that he was suffering from dehydration and hypothermia, but was in stable condition.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
