Russian Man Rescued After 67 Days Adrift in Sea of Okhotsk

A Russian man, Mikhail Pichugin, has been rescued after more than two months adrift in a small inflatable boat in the Sea of Okhotsk, located in Russia’s far east.

Officials report that Pichugin, 46, was found by a fishing boat crew nearly 1,000km (620 miles) from where he initially set off in early August. The bodies of his brother, Sergei, 49, and his 15-year-old nephew, Ilya, were discovered in the boat alongside him.

According to Pichugin’s wife, the group had ventured out to sea to watch whales, bringing food supplies intended for two weeks. She told Ria Novosti that her husband’s weight, at 100kg (15st 10lb) when they left, might have played a role in his survival. By the time of his rescue, it was reported he had lost half of his body weight.

Speaking to Ria Novosti, she expressed disbelief over her husband’s survival, calling it “some kind of miracle.” She also revealed that their daughter was originally meant to join the trip but had decided to return home instead. Despite helicopter searches, no trace of the group had been found after their disappearance was reported.

The boat was eventually discovered on Monday by a fishing vessel off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. A video shared by the prosecutor’s office shows a bearded Pichugin, wearing a life jacket, shouting to the fishermen, “I have no strength left,” as he was rescued.

While doctors say Pichugin is in “more or less stable” condition, he is currently recovering in the hospital. A representative of the Russian Seafarers’ Union, Nikolai Sukhanov, suggested that Pichugin’s survival might have been aided by catching fish and stretching the provisions left on the boat.

Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the incident, inspecting the boat and attempting to determine the full circumstances of what occurred. Castaway stories like Pichugin’s are not unprecedented. In 1960, four Soviet soldiers survived 49 days adrift on a small boat in the Pacific Ocean before being rescued by a US aircraft carrier, according to Ria Novosti.