A Russian man rescued after 67 days adrift on a small inflatable raft in the Sea of Okhotsk described Wednesday how he survived by battling the bitter cold and drinking rainwater.
Mikhail Pichugin, 46, set sail in early August to watch whales in the Sea of Okhotsk with his 49-year-old brother and 15-year-old nephew. But their boat’s engine died on their way back on August 9.
Initial efforts by emergency services to rescue them failed. Pichugin’s brother and nephew died and he tied the bodies to the raft so they would not be swept away by the waves.
A fishing vessel discovered the raft this week and rescued Pichugin about 20 kilometers (11 nautical miles) from Kamchatka, about 1,000 kilometers (about 540 nautical miles) from their starting point.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday from his hospital bed, Pichugin described how the engine failed and one of the oars broke, leaving the boat uncontrollable.
It was not possible to use the phone on board as there was no coverage, but the trio used it as a geolocator for a week until the battery ran out. They tried unsuccessfully to attract the attention of rescuers using the few flares they had.
“A helicopter passed nearby and then another came three days later, but they were of no use,” Pichugin said in comments broadcast on Russian state television.
He said they collected rainwater and could barely warm themselves in the sea off Russia’s eastern coast.
“There was a sleeping bag with camel wool, but it was wet and wouldn’t dry,” he said. “We would lie under it, shake ourselves a little and that’s how we would warm ourselves.”
They had a limited amount of noodles, peas and tried to catch fish.
Pichugin, according to Russian media, said his nephew died of hypothermia and starvation in September. His brother began behaving erratically and at one point tried to jump into the water.
Pichugin said he survived “with the help of God.”
“I just had no choice. “I had my mother and my daughter at home,” he added.
Doctors at Magadan hospital said Pichugin was dehydrated and suffering from hypothermia, but his condition was stable.
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