A Russian whale watcher endured more than two months stranded at sea in an epic struggle for survival, after a family trip went horribly wrong.
Mikhail Pichugin, 46, set out with his 15-year-old nephew and brother, 49, from Cape Perovsky in the Khabarovsk region on August 9.
The family members headed off towards Sakhalin Island to watch whales, but were struck by disaster on their way back.
The boat’s engine suddenly shut down, leaving the three stranded in the Sea of Okhotsk.
Emergency services launched a rescue operation but were unable to locate them.
The trio could not use the onboard phone to call for help, as there was no network coverage.
However, they used the phone for geolocation for a week, until its battery ran out.
They tried unsuccessfully to attract the attention of rescuers by letting off a small supply of flares they had with them.
Mr Pichugin’s brother and nephew tragically died, and he was forced to tie their bodies to the boat to prevent them from being washed away.
He was picked up by a fishing vessel 67 days into his ordeal, after it spotted his boat about 11 nautical miles off Kamchatka.
This was roughly 1,000km (540 nautical miles) from its departure point at Cape Perovsky.
Mr Pichugin was transferred to a hospital in Magadan, where he was diagnosed as suffering from dehydration and hypothermia.
“I survived with God’s help, there is no other way to say it,” he told a reporter for Russia’s state TV.
He said he drank rain water and used a Mongolian sleeping bag with camel wool to try and stay warm.
“It was wet, it didn’t dry,” he said. “You crawl under it, wiggle a little and get warm.”
The trio had a small supply of noodles and peas and tried to catch fish as they battled the elements.
Mr Pichugin said his nephew died of hypothermia and hunger in September. His brother started behaving erratically and tried at one point to jump off the boat.
