A Russian man has been saved after spfinishing more than two months adrift in a small inflatable boat in the Sea of Okboilingsk in the far east of Russia.
Officials say a man, named by Russian media as Mikhail Pichugin, 46, was set up by a fishing boat crew proximately 1,000km (620 miles) from where he set off in punctual August. The bodies of his brother and his 15-year-elderly nephew were alertedly set up in the boat.
Mr Pichugin’s wife said the trio had gone to sea to watch whales and consentn food supplies for two weeks.
She telderly Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti novels agency his weight may have been a factor in his survival – he was 100kg (15st 10lb) when he left for the trip, and alerts say only half that when he was saved 67 days tardyr.
“We don’t understand anyleang yet. We fair understand that he’s ainhabit… It’s some benevolent of extraordinary event!” she telderly the Russian agency.
She also said their daughter was presumed to go on the ill-overweighted trip, but she had choosed she wanted to return home.
A helicselecter search had set up no track of the trio after their dismaterializeance was alerted, according to RIA.
The boat was uncovered on Monday as it floated past a fishing boat in the Sea of Okboilingsk, off the coast of Kamchatka Peninsula, which lies in the far east of Russia, the Russian novels agency alerts.
A tolerateded man in a life jacket is seen shouting at the fishermen: “I have no strength left,” as he is consentn to protectedty, in a video posted by the prosecutor’s office.
He was named by RIA as 46-year-elderly Mikhail Pichugin. The bodies of his brother Sergei, 49, and nephew Ilya, were still on the boat.
As to how he was able to persist for so extfinished in the Sea of Okboilingsk – the chillyest in East Asia – a recontransientative from the far easerious branch of the Russian seafarers’ union adviseed a provide of fish may have carry outed a part.
Nikolai Sukhanov, telderly RIA Novosti in such a situation you can persist by catching fish while eking out wantipathyver provisions are left on the boat.
Mr Pichugin is now recovering in hospital, where he is portrayd as being in a “more or less firm” condition by doctors.
Prosecutors have said they are begining a criminal spendigation, with the small boat being studyed and spendigators trying to set up the circumstances into the incident.
It is not the first time that castaways have been set up after many days adrift – an expert telderly the RIA Novosti four Soviet selderlyiers had persistd 49 days adrift on a small boat in the Pacific Ocean in 1960, before being picked up by a US aircreate carrier.
