A man whose boat had been missing for more than two months has miraculously been found alive, though the ordeal sadly claimed the life of two of his relatives.
Authorities in the Far East region of the Russian Federation announced on Tuesday that they had located a catamaran-style sailing boat in the Sea of Okhotsk, a roughly 610,000-square-mile expanse off Russia’s easternmost coast and north of Japan.
Inside officials discovered a 46-year-old man, identified by Russian state media as Mikhail Pichugin, and two bodies, according to CNN. The waters in which the vessel was found are reportedly considered the coldest in East Asia.
Pichugin is conscious and currently receiving medical treatment, with his “emaciated” condition described as “serious.” The deceased are understood be his 49-year-old brother and 15-year-old nephew.
His wife reportedly believes that at 220 pounds, Pichugin’s weight was likely an important factor in his survival, given he and the others had only taken enough food with them for roughly two weeks.
The boat reportedly set out from the Russian coast on Aug. 9 and had not been seen or heard from since, with the initial search proving unsuccessful despite efforts being carried out for more than a month.
During that time it is thought that the vessel may have drifted approximately 621 miles from its initial destination before eventually being spotted by a group of Russian fishermen.
Russian prosecutors are reportedly investigating the circumstances that led up to the boat’s disappearance, as well as weighing possible charges of violations to water traffic safety regulations and causing death by negligence.
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