A Russian man survived more than two months adrift on a tiny inflatable boat before being rescued Monday by a fishing crew off the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
A video released by the local prosecutor's office showed the emaciated man wearing a life jacket and desperately shouting, "Come here!" before the crew of the fishing vessel Angel pulled him to safety, the Associated Press said.
"I have no strength left," the man said.
Russian news reports identified him as Mikhail Pichugin, 46, and said he weighed just 110 pounds after losing half his body weight while floating on the stormy Sea of Okhotsk for 67 days, AP said.
The sea is the coldest in East Asia and is known for its gale-force winds.
Pichugin, his 49-year-old brother and 15-year-old nephew reportedly set off on a whale watching trip on Aug. 9 and only had a small amount of food and about 5 gallons of water before their boat's engine failed.
A man who miraculously survived two months adrift on an inflatable boat in the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia’s Far East has had a case opened against him for violating water safety rules, the regional Prosecutor’s Office wrote on Tuesday. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/HTPzzPUvG2
— Novaya Gazeta Europe (@novayagazeta_en) October 15, 2024
The bodies of his brother and nephew were found tied to the boat to prevent them from being washed away by waves, reports said.
A rescue effort was launched but searchers failed to find the three after they were reported missing, AP said.
The fishing crew initially thought the tiny boat was a buoy or a piece of junk when it was detected by radar.
But when they turned on a spotlight to make sure, they were shocked to see Pichugin, who didn't say how he managed to survive his ordeal.
His boat was found about 11 nautical miles from shore and about 540 miles from where it was launched on the other side of the Sea of Okhotsk.
Pichugin was rushed to a local hospital where he was in stable condition and being treated for dehydration and hypothermia.
He faces an investigation into violating water safety rules, the regional Prosecutor's Office announced, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe.
