Russian man found alive after spending 67 days adrift in Sea of Okhotsk

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) – A man has been found alive after spending 67 days adrift in the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia's far east in a maritime incident that claimed two lives.

The Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office said in a statement on Tuesday that a small catamaran-type boat was discovered Monday near the village of Ust-Khairyuzovo in the Kamchatka Territory in eastern Russia, more than two months after it went missing.

On Aug. 9, the boat left Cape Perovsky in Khabarovsk Territory, bound for the Sakhalin region. It was carrying three people, two men and a 15-year-old boy. "After a while, communication with them was lost, and their location remained unknown," the prosecutor's office stated.

There were reports of a possible engine problem that may caused the incident. However, no official confirmed or denied it.

Local media identified the survivor as Mikhail Pichugin, 46, who was found severely emaciated. His brother Sergei, 49, and Sergei's son Ilya, 15, did not survive the ordeal.

"The survivors had warm clothes, life jackets, flares, and a small supply of food and water," local media reported.

The Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal investigation under the Russian Criminal Code for violation of water transport safety regulations.

Pichugin is currently receiving medical care. Officials have not yet revealed how he managed to survive for more than two months at sea.