Man Rescued After 67 Days Adrift in Boat Off Siberian Coast, Brother and 15-Year-Old Nephew Found Dead

Mar. 15, 2025

Official telegram channel of the Russian Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office via AP

A man was rescued from a small inflatable boat more than two months after he set sail with two family members, who did not survive the trip.

The man reportedly set out with his brother and nephew for a whale watching trip, but went missing while on the way back from Sakhalin Island on Aug. 9, perCNNandCBS News.

“After some time, contact with them was lost, their location remained unknown,” said a spokesperson for the local prosecutor’s office, according to CNN.

According to Russian media, the trio had a small amount of food and water with them when their engine failed, leaving them adrift.

Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP

The Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper said the fishing crew that located the man originally believed they had spotted a buoy or piece of junk on radar off the Siberian coast, per the AP. They later learned that object was a man.

The director of the fishing company whose workers located Pichugin told Russian state media RIA Novosti that Pichugin was found “in serious condition, emaciated, but conscious," according to CNN.

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The bodies of Pichugin’s 49-year-old brother and 15-year-old nephew were found on the inflatable boat, according to the outlets.

“I have no strength left,” Pichugin said during the rescue, per the AP.

Crews initially spent a month searching for the missing boat, but were unable to locate the vessel, Reuters reported.

Now, prosecutors said an investigation into the incident has been opened on charges of violation of safety rules that resulted in deaths, according to the AP.

The cause of death for Pichugin’s uncle and nephew have not yet been released.

source: people.com