Russian Man Was Rescued Adrift on A Boat, Two Months after He Went Missing, in The Cold Seas of Okhotsk

A Russian man by the name of Mikhail Pichugin, 46, has been rescued from a small boat in the cold seas of Okhotsk, after he went missing on August 9. He was rescued after 67 days.

Mikhail had set sail with his brother and his teenaged fifteen-year-old son, on August 9, according to prosecutors.

“After some time, contact with them was lost, their location remained unknown”, said Elena Krasnoyarova, spokesperson for Russia’s far eastern transport prosecutor’s office.

“On October 14, around 22:00 the catamaran was spotted by a fishing boat passing in the Sea of Okhotsk near the Ust-Khayryuzovo settlement in the Kamchatka region,” she added. The Sea of Okhotsk is said to be the coldest sea in East Asia.

Michail was described as a bearded man, wearing an orange life jacket. Unfortunately, his brother and his nephew could not survive the harsh conditions. Their bodies were found on the boat.

He shouted at the fisherman: “I have no strength left.”

Mikhail Pichugin was taken to the hospital in the town of Magadan for medical treatment. His condition was said to be serious, emaciated, but conscious initially. Now, he is said to be in a stable condition.

Mikhail’s wife told the Russian media that his weight—100 kg—was probably one reason he survived. She said Michail’s brother and nephew had enough food for two weeks.

Prosecutors are looking into the circumstances that led to the tragic incident. They would also look into the water traffic safety violations that perhaps led to the death of the two people.

Michail’s wife told a Russian agency, “We don't know anything yet. We just know that he's alive... It's some kind of miracle!”

Her daughter was supposed to go on that trip, but she backed out at the last moment.

The details surrounding the event are still a mystery, but Mikhail's incredible tale of enduring 67 days in the icy-cold, unforgiving depths of the ocean is nothing short of miraculous.