A Russian man’s whale watching adventure turned into a 67-day nightmare. On Oct. 14, a fishing vessel in the Sea of Okhotsk spotted a small inflatable boat carrying a Russian man. The man had set off to sea along with his brother and nephew in August, authorities said, per multiple outlets.
While Russian authorities didn’t name the man, state media RIA Novosti identified him as 46-year-old Mikhail Pichugin, the outlets reported. The state media additionally reported that Pichugin was found along with the bodies of his 15-year-old nephew and 49-year-old brother.
The trio went missing on Aug. 9, when they set off for Sakhalin Island from Cape Perovsky in the Khabarovsk region. A rescue effort at the time was unsuccessful, state media said.
How Mikhail Pichugin Was Rescued
The men had a small reserve of food and about five gallons of water when their boat lost its engine and left them adrift and lost at sea, according to reports.
When the fishing vessel spotted an item in the water, they initially believed it to be debris. They decided to make sure by turning on their spotlight, state media said. When they did so, they were shocked to see Pichugin on his inflatable boat. The surprise largely comes from the fact that the Sea of Okhotsk often freezes and is known to be the coldest sea in the region.
As a result of the ordeal, Pichugin lost half his body weight, coming in at only 110 pounds when he was rescued, the state media reported. At the time of his rescue, Pichugin did not know how he survived or how his relatives died, per news reports.
Citing a video released by the prosecutor’s office, the outlets reported that Pichugin yelled “Come here!” when he spotted the fishing boat. He then told those on the rescue boat, “I have no strength left.”
Pichugin is suffering from hypothermia and dehydration, but in stable condition, his doctor told reporters. He’s not out of hot water yet, though. State media reported that prosecutors have launched an investigation. They seek to determine if there was a violation of safety rules that led to deaths.
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The post Man Rescued with His Dead Brother and Nephew in the Boat After Months at Sea appeared first on VICE.
