16-10-2024 (MOSCOW) A Russian man has been rescued after spending more than two months adrift in the treacherous waters of the Sea of Okhotsk. Mikhail Pichugin, 45, was found clinging to life in a small inflatable dinghy, alongside the bodies of his deceased brother and nephew.
The harrowing ordeal began when Pichugin, his elder brother Sergey, 49, and Sergey’s son Ilya, 16, embarked on what was meant to be a routine whale-watching expedition to the remote Shantar Islands. Their journey took a dire turn when their vessel’s engines failed on the return trip to Okha on Sakhalin Island, leaving them stranded in one of the world’s most unforgiving marine environments.
For 67 days, Pichugin battled against the elements in a desperate fight for survival. Russian authorities had called off the search after a month, believing it impossible for anyone to endure the stormy autumn seas. However, against all expectations, Pichugin was spotted by a Russian trawler approximately 14 miles off the coast of Ust-Khairyuzovo on the Kamchatka peninsula.
???? #BREAKING | A Russian man has been rescued after 67 days adrift in a small boat in the Sea of Okhotsk. pic.twitter.com/VuWVMb83FS
— United Alerts (@unitedalerts) October 16, 2024
Footage of the rescue shows a visibly weakened Pichugin, having reportedly lost over 45 kilograms, waving frantically at his saviours. “All right, hold on,” a fisherman can be heard shouting, “Just sit tight for now.”
The survivor’s ex-wife, Ekaterina Pichugina, expressed her disbelief at the news of his rescue. “When they said [Mikhail] was alive, I thought we were waiting for a miracle, and it happened,” she told local media.
Dmitry Lisitsyn, head of Sakhalin Environment Watch, described the event as “two real miracles”. He marvelled at how such a small, uncontrolled boat could remain afloat through multiple storms, and how Pichugin managed to survive in such harsh conditions for over two months.
However, Pichugin’s ordeal may not be over. Russian authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, as the boat was not permitted to travel beyond two nautical miles from shore under Russian law. The Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office stated they are “establishing the circumstances of the incident” and monitoring the progress of a criminal case.
