INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A Russian man who survived 66 days adrift at sea on 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
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.Pichugin set off from the coast
of the eastern Khabarovsk region in the Sea of Okhotsk on Aug
9 with his brother Sergei, 49, and nephew Ilya, 15, on a crossing to the island of Sakhalin meant to take a few hours.When they failed to
nothing and the search was eventually called off.The boat was found around 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from its starting point.According to
prosecutors, Pichugin was not permitted to operate the vessel more than 1.6 nautical miles from shore.They also accused him of not properly
Russian television reported he weighed only 50 kgs (110 lbs) when found.He gave a few details of how he managed to survive in the Sea of
