No food, no water: Man survives 2 months lost at sea, loses half his weight
Mikhail Pichugin, 46, was discovered severely malnourished, having lost 50 kilograms (110 pounds) during his time at sea. Authorities confirmed that the bodies of his 49-year-old brother, Sergei, and 15-year-old nephew, Ilya, were found on board the small rubber boat, marking a tragic end to the family’s voyage.
The three, according to a Moscow Times report, had embarked on a whale-watching trip from the Khabarovsk region in early August. Their plan was to explore the Shantar Islands, located off the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, with the intention of returning by August 9. When they failed to arrive back as scheduled, a search and rescue operation was launched, but the group’s boat was nowhere to be found.
Pichugin’s ordeal ended late Monday when a fishing vessel spotted him near the Kamchatka Peninsula, approximately 23 kilometers (12 miles) offshore. This location was more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) east of the Shantar Islands, where the trio was last seen. Pichugin was immediately taken to a hospital in the Magadan region for treatment after his rescue.
Authorities released footage showing fishermen approaching the drifting boat. The exact circumstances that led to the deaths of Sergei and Ilya remain unclear. Russian law enforcement has opened an investigation into potential safety violations that resulted in the loss of two or more lives, seeking to understand how the family’s trip ended in such a devastating tragedy.
The story has drawn widespread attention, not only due to the extraordinary
