In brief
A Russian man, Mikhail Pichugin, has been miraculously rescued after surviving 67 days adrift in the Sea of Okhotsk. Sadly, the bodies of his brother and nephew were also found in the small inflatable boat.
A Russian man named Mikhail Pichugin has been miraculously rescued after surviving for more than two months adrift in the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia's far east. He was discovered by a fishing vessel nearly 1,000 kilometers from his initial departure in August. Tragically, the bodies of his brother and 15-year-old nephew were found alongside him in the small inflatable boat. Pichugin’s wife explained that their family had set out to observe whales, provisioning enough food for two weeks. His survival against the odds may have been aided by his initial weight of 100 kg, which had halved by the time he was rescued. Described as a "miracle" by his wife, she also revealed their daughter was initially going to join them but decided not to. Following a failed helicopter search, Pichugin was eventually spotted by fishermen off the Kamchatka Peninsula. He was reportedly in poor condition, expressing "I have no strength left" upon his rescue. Experts speculate that fishing might have aided his survival, a method echoed by Soviet soldiers who survived 49 days adrift in 1960. Currently, Pichugin is in the hospital, stable but recovering, while prosecutors have launched an investigation into the incident.
