He clung to life with all his might as he drifted around the Sea of Okhotsk (in the Russian Far East) on his disabled rubber boat. After 67 days, a shipwrecked man was rescued by fishermen – next to him the sailors found the bodies of his brother (49) and his nephew (15).
The boat of Mikhail Pichugin (46) and his companions disappeared on August 9th. The trio had been in the area around the Shantar Islands Only observed and then made his way back to Sakhalin Island.
After his rescue, the man received medical care
Fishermen had taken Mikhail on board and brought him to safety
But on the way, the engine of the approximately four and a half meter long boat stopped, so that the three animal friends were driven further and further east – with no chance of protecting themselves against the icy temperatures and the waves. Radio contact with the mainland – none!
Mikhail had lost around 50 kilos
Two months later, when Mikhail perhaps no longer believed he could be rescued, fishermen off the Kamchatka Peninsula spotted the boat on their radar. As they approached in the dark, they at first thought it was a buoy or flotsam – until they shined a spotlight on it and made their shocking discovery.
The fishing fan went whale watching with his brother and nephew at the beginning of August
Photos and videos show how the rescuers approach the dinghy and finally discover the helpless man wrapped in blankets and wearing a life jacket: Over the weeks he has grown a long beard and has become emaciated.
As it later turned out, Mikhail only weighed 50 kilos – about half his original weight. When the rescuers arrived, he is said to have said in a weak voice: “I have no strength left.”
The boat withstood severe storms
The experienced sailor himself could not yet explain how he used his last strength to survive. The crew only had around 20 liters of water and a small ration of food on board for the whale excursion.
The circumstances under which Mikhail’s brother and nephew died will now be clarified by the public prosecutor, who also made the video of the incident public.
Mikhail’s nephew Ilya died during the wanderings
The survivor’s brother, Sergei Pichugin, also died
The man’s ex-wife told KP-Irkutsk: “When we heard that Mikhail was alive, I thought ‘a miracle has happened’.” The castaway has a daughter with Ekaterina Pichugina.
Even for experts it is inexplicable that the man survived. A spokesman for a local environmental agency said the boat had certainly been exposed to several severe storms while veering about 1,000 kilometers off course. He expressed surprise that the small boat had not capsized.
The Sea of Okhotsk has some of the harshest conditions anywhere. During the winter months it freezes over almost completely. It is located north of Japan and is more than 3 kilometers deep at its deepest point.