Russian charged over family deaths after 66 days adrift in dinghy

A Russian man who survived 66 days adrift at sea in an inflatable boat has been charged with negligence over the deaths of his relatives on board, investigators said Friday.

Mikhail Pichugin, 46, was rescued by a fishing vessel in October off the coast of the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula, more than two months after he set off on the dinghy with his brother and 15-year-old nephew, both of whom died during the ordeal.

Russian prosecutors have charged him with “violating traffic safety rules” resulting in the death of two people, a regional branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee said, according to Russian news agencies.

He faces up to seven years in prison if found guilty.

Pichugin comes from the city of Ulan-Ude in Siberia but was working on the far eastern island of Sakhalin as a driver.

He set off from the coast of the eastern Khabarovsk region on August 9 with his visiting brother Sergei, 49, and nephew Ilya, 15, on a crossing to the island of Sakhalin meant to take a few hours.