Russian man rescued after months adrift in Sea of Okhotsk reveals survival story
In short:
Rescuers pulled Mikhail Pichugin from the Sea of Okhotsk more than two months after his inflatable boat's engine shut down during a whale watching voyage.
The 46-year-old was found alongside the bodies of his brother and his nephew, about 1,000 kilometres from where they set out.
What's next?
Investigators are now probing whether the trio breached transport safety rules, which could result in a criminal charge and a jail term of up to seven years.
A Russian man rescued after 67 days adrift in a small inflatable boat in the Sea of Okhotsk has described how he survived the ordeal by battling shivering cold and drinking rainwater.
Mikhail Pichugin, 46, had set off to watch whales with his 49-year-old brother Sergei and 15-year-old nephew Ilya, but the boat's engine shut down.
The trio set off from the coast of Siberia's Khabarovsk region, on Russia's Pacific coast, on August 9.
When they failed to return, Russian rescuers surveyed the area by helicopter and plane, suspecting the boat had drifted towards the Kamchatka Peninsula, but found nothing and the search was eventually called off.
Mr Pichugin's brother and nephew later died, and he tied their bodies to the boat to prevent them from being washed away.
A fishing vessel spotted the boat this week and rescued Mr Pichugin about 20 kilometres off Kamchatka and about 1,000 kilometres from its departure point.
Mikhail Pichugin was taken to a hospital suffering dehydration and hypothermia.
Speaking to reporters from his hospital bed in the town of Magadan on Wednesday, Mr Pichugin described how one of the boat's oars broke after the engine broke down, making the vessel uncontrollable.
The phone on board was also rendered useless because there was no network coverage, but the trio used it for geolocation for a week until the phone battery and a power bank ran out.
They tried unsuccessfully to attract rescuers' attention using the few flares they had.
"A helicopter flew past close, then another one after three days, but they were useless," Mr Pichugin said in comments broadcast by Russian state television.
He said they collected rainwater and struggled to get warm.
Mikhail Pichugin has spoken of his fight to stay alive while stranded at sea.
"There was a sleeping bag with camel wool, it was wet and didn't dry," he said.
"You crawl under it, wiggle a little and get warm."
The trio had a limited stockpile of noodles and peas, and tried to catch some fish.
Russian media quoted Mr Pichugin as saying his nephew died of hypothermia and hunger in September, while his brother started behaving erratically and tried at one point to jump off the boat.
Mr Pichugin said he survived "thanks to God's help".
"I simply had no choice, I had my mother and my daughter left at home," he said.
Doctors said he was suffering from dehydration and hypothermia but in a stable condition, while Russian media reported he lost half his body weight while stranded at sea.
Magadan Deputy Governor Tatiana Savchenko said Mr Pichugin's condition was "satisfactory", and confirmed the local government would pay for him to fly home and for relatives to visit.
Russian transport investigators have launched a probe into possible breaches of safety rules by Mr Pichugin, suggesting he could face a criminal charge and risk a jail term of up to seven years.
ABC/wires
By:https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-17/russian-mikhail-pichugin-rescued-after-months-at-sea/104483142(责任编辑:admin)
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