A Russian man spent two months adrift in a small inflatable boat in the Pacific Ocean, while two of his companions tragically did not survive the ordeal.
Discoveret 620 Miles From Home
According to Tag24, the man was rescued on October 14 after he was discovered near the coast of Kamchatka, approximately 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from his starting point in the Khabarovsk region of Russia.
The group of three, comprised of Mikhail Pichugin, his 49-year-old brother Sergey, and Sergey’s 15-year-old son Ilya, set off from Khabarovsk on August 9 with hopes of reaching Sakhalin Island.
However, they never arrived at their destination. Rescuers believed the inflatable boat had been swept away by currents, and despite extensive search efforts involving helicopters and planes, the initial rescue attempts were unsuccessful.
Shouting for Help
The boat was eventually located passing by a fishing vessel in the Sea of Okhotsk.
The rescue team reported finding Pichugin aboard the boat, while his brother and nephew had sadly perished. A video released by the Russian Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office showed Pichugin, who appeared weak but conscious, shouting for help and managing to grab a rescue rope thrown by the fishermen.
According to Alexey Arykov, the captain of the fishing boat that discovered Pichugin, the survivor was in a fragile state but was able to communicate. After being brought to the city of Magadan, Pichugin’s wife, Yekaterina, expressed her relief, calling her husband's rescue a "miracle."
Reports indicate that the three men had only provisions for two weeks, raising questions about how Pichugin managed to survive.
His wife speculated that his weight might have contributed to his endurance, as he weighed around 100 kilograms (220 pounds) before his ordeal, reportedly losing 50 kilograms (110 pounds) during his time at sea.
The group had embarked on the trip to observe whales, a journey that took a tragic turn.
