Russian man who was adrift for 67 days rescued; Companions dead

Russian workers bring Mikhail Picchugin ashore on Tuesday. He drifted in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk for 67 days. AP | Photo credit: AP

A Russian man has been rescued in the stormy Sea of ​​Okhotsk after surviving more than two months in a tiny inflatable boat that lost its engine. However, his brother and nephew died, officials said on Tuesday (October 25, 2024).

Prosecutors in Russia’s far east said the man was rescued by a fishing vessel off the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The survivor’s name was not released, but Russian news reports identified him as 46-year-old Mikhail Picchugin, who went on a whale-watching trip in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in early August with his 49-year-old brother and 15-year-old. one-year-old nephew. Their bodies were reportedly found in the boat when the fishing boat “Angel” rescued Mr. Picchugin.

According to media reports, the three men traveled to the Shantar Islands off the northwest coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in early August. They went missing after making their way back to Sakhalin Island on August 9th.

Russian media reported that the trio had a small ration of food and about 20 liters of water when their engine failed and they found themselves on the water.

He did not immediately say how he managed to survive in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the coldest sea in East Asia and known for its storms, and how his brother and nephew died.

When the fishing vessel’s crew spotted the tiny inflatable boat on their radar, they initially thought it was a buoy or a piece of trash Komsomolskaya Pravda The newspaper said, but they turned on the spotlight to make sure and were shocked to see Mr. Picchugin.

Prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into the incident into safety violations that resulted in deaths.