Mikhail Pichugin, a Russian, recently gained news after surviving 67 terrifying days at sea in the icy Russian Far East. in August 9, the 46-year-old left the Khabarovsk region with his brother Sergey, 49, and nephew Ilya, 15, in an inflatable raft with the intention of arriving at Sakhalin Island. However, they stopped communicating within a few days, and their relatives filed a missing person’s report. The three were untraceable for weeks despite a massive search operation that involved planes and helicopters, and as the days went by, the likelihood of their survival decreased.
Against all odds, on October 14, a fishing boat in the Sea of Okhotsk spotted the inflatable raft, approximately 1,000 kilometers from where it had set off. Remarkably, Pichugin was still alive, though weakened to the point of barely speaking or lifting his hands. The fishing crew threw him a rope, and with the little strength he had left, Pichugin clutched onto it, signaling an end to his terrifying ordeal. Tragically, both his brother and nephew had succumbed during the journey.
Surviving on just dried noodles, peas, and a limited water supply, the three initially shared rations meant only for two weeks. Ilya, the youngest, was the first to pass in September. Sergey and Mikhail endured the freezing temperatures and exposure until Sergey, in a desperate attempt to clean his wounds, slipped into the icy water. Though Mikhail managed to pull him back aboard, Sergey soon perished from his injuries and exposure. In an act of determination, Mikhail tied his brother’s and nephew’s bodies to the raft to prevent them from washing away and used their jackets as makeshift flags, hoping to signal passing boats or planes.
Pichugin’s survival is a testament to resilience. His wife believes his initial weight of 100 kilograms (220 pounds) may have helped him withstand starvation, as he weighed only 50 kilograms (110 pounds) upon rescue. Though he is in stable condition, Russian authorities are considering charging him with breaches of safety rules, which could carry a prison sentence of up to seven years.
