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"The route was agreed upon in advance": a friend of Mikhail Pichugin, who survived 67 days at sea, reveals new details
The debate over the story of the Russian Robinson has been raging online for two days now. This is how 46-year-old Mikhail Pichugin was dubbed on the Internet. On October 15, the Angel radar detected some kind of "object" in the water off the coast of Kamchatka. The fishermen turned on the spotlights and saw a motorboat. Inside, an exhausted man was waving his arms with all his might and shouting, "Here, aaa!" It turned out that he had been drifting in the Sea of Okhotsk for 67 years (!) on a catamaran carrying the bodies of his brother and nephew.
The family wandered around the Sea of Okhotsk for 67(!) days. To survive, the relatives collected rainwater, soaked dried noodles and canned peas. Unfortunately, the 16-year-old teenager could not withstand the extreme conditions. He could not and did not want to eat noodles and peas and died of hunger. Soon after, his father died in grief.
"They died of exhaustion on September 18 and 28." Mikhail himself told journalists that he was already in intensive care. The tourist is currently recovering from prolonged hypothermia and dehydration in a Magadan hospital. In two months, he has lost 50 kg, half of his body weight.
"The patient's condition is stable," he said. o. Attending physician Yuri Lednev. - Receive treatment after consultation with all necessary specialists.
Local authorities promised to help Mikhail transport the bodies of his relatives and return to his native Buryatia. When he gets back on his feet, he will be able to see his elderly mother, 12-year-old daughter and ex-wife. It was the thought of their loved ones that made the Siberians fight.
Mikhail’s ex-wife Ekaterina shared her joy: “We were waiting for a miracle, and it happened.”
It turns out that the Pichugins had been planning a family trip for months. Mikhail, who works on Sakhalin, invited his older brother Sergei. He invited his 15-year-old son, who was staying with him during the summer holidays. (The teenager's mother lives in Krasnoyarsk.) The man readily agreed, as he dreamed of seeing whales. Even his mother's attempts to persuade him had no effect.
Sergey's ex-wife Natalya shares with a correspondent of "KP-Irkutsk": "We bought a motorboat "Baikat 470" and were told that it was unsinkable - then the vessel was registered and transported to the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. We stocked up on water, food, sleeping bags and a tent. The son went with his father's friends. They traveled from Ulan-Ude together, and Sergey himself also got there by plane, so they boarded the ship and on August 4, the three of them headed along the coast to the village of Moskalvo. Heading to Tar, only Mikhail went ahead, and two families with children were waiting for them on the island.
"Pichugin" regrouped on August 9, but sailed away from the shore and disappeared. Communication with them was lost. According to preliminary data, the tourist's engine broke. They tried to reach the shore, but the oars broke and the anchor was lost. So, the catamaran began to drift. The surprising thing is that, according to Mikhail, he and his relatives have seen helicopters flying over them and ships passing by more than once, but no one noticed it. Flashes did not help either.
"The first to raise the alarm were acquaintances who were also on vacation. They contacted the police on August 10. I learned about my son's disappearance two days later. The search itself began on the 14th. Rescuers from three regions worked on it, but stopped after a month, because they could not find any objects or boats. We wrote a statement and begged them to continue the search, but they did not listen to us.
Correspondents from KP-Irkutsk contacted one of the last people who saw Pichugin before the incident.
“We saw whales on the island and went fishing,” Denis recalls. “And on August 8, we returned to the place where we met Pichugin’s ship. We set up camp and the next day accompanied them on their journey to Sakhalin. I gave the boy warm clothes, and my wife gave me the remains of food, although she did not want to eat. And we watched them swim. In the evening, the Pichugins were supposed to come to the place and call, but they did not show up. The fact that Mikhail chose a dangerous route, as some experts claim, is a lie! The route was agreed upon in advance with the border service. No one thought that a tragedy would occur. Mikhail lived at sea for 67 days. Do you think he is ready? Yes, he was prepared inside and out. We will clarify the circumstances through an investigation and hope for a speedy recovery for our friend.
By the way, relatives noted that the Pichugin brothers had been hunting and fishing since childhood. Mikhail often went to the sea after work. This experience probably saved his life.
"I was collecting rainwater," the man recalls. "I was under a camel-hair sleeping bag. Wet and not dry. But you fidget and fidget and warm up. There's no choice. My mother was home, and my daughter was home.
Meanwhile, investigators continue to investigate the criminal case under Article 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Violation of traffic safety rules and operation of inland water transport." The maximum penalty provided for this crime is seven years' imprisonment.
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