He weighed only 50 kilos Russian survives 67-day ordeal on the open sea
When a Russian family trip becomes a death trap: Despite meagre supplies, Mikhail Pichugin survived for more than two months in a rubber dinghy in the middle of one of the coldest seas in the world.
16.10.2024, 21:35
dpa
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- Mikhail Pichugin was trapped on a fishing boat in the Sea of Okhotsk for over two months.
- Now the 49-year-old has been rescued: severely emaciated, hypothermic and dehydrated.
- He told Russian state television about his life-threatening odyssey - and two painful losses.
A Russian rescued from an inflatable boat after more than two months has reported details of his odyssey. The boat's engine failed when he, his brother and his nephew wanted to return to the coast at the beginning of August after a whale-watching trip, 46-year-old Mikhail Pichugin told Russian state television on Wednesday. Then one of the rudders broke so that the boat could no longer be steered. Her cell phone had no network.
Pitschugin was discovered and rescued this week by a fishing boat in the Sea of Okhotsk in the far east of Russia. His 49-year-old brother and his 15-year-old nephew were already dead. According to doctors at the hospital in Magadan, Pitschugin is severely emaciated, hypothermic and dehydrated, but in a stable condition.
Two companions died on the open sea
Pitschugin reported from his sickbed that he and his companions had a limited supply of noodles and peas on board and had tried to catch a few fish. They had also collected rainwater. They used their cell phone for a week to pinpoint their location until the battery and a power bank were discharged. They tried in vain to attract the attention of rescuers with flares.
"A helicopter flew by nearby, another one after three days, but they were useless," said Pitschugin. It was also difficult to keep warm, he said. "There was a camel wool sleeping bag that was wet and didn't dry," he reported. "You crawl under it, wiggle a bit and you're warm."
Pitschugin said that his nephew died of hypothermia and hunger in September. His brother had started to behave erratically and once tried to jump off the boat. He had tied the bodies of both of them in the boat so that they would not be washed away.
When he was rescued, Pitschugin weighed only 50 kilograms
He himself survived with God's help. "I simply had no choice, I had my mother and my daughter at home," he said quietly.
Pitschugin was finally discovered 20 kilometers off the Kamchatka Peninsula, around 1000 kilometers from the starting point of his journey. He had lost about half his body weight and still weighed around 50 kilograms.
The Sea of Okhotsk is considered to be the coldest in East Asia and is known for its storms.
