Russian Man Drifts for a Week in the Sea on a Diesel Barrel Attempting to Save Fuel

A 36-year-old man from the Khabarovsk region of Russia has been drifting for a week in the Sea of Okhotsk after being swept away on a diesel barrel while trying to save fuel. Three men attempted to cross the Tyl River in the Khabarovsk region with a KamAZ truck when rising tides began to carry away a barrel of fuel. In a desperate attempt to retrieve it, Valery Safronov jumped into the water but was swept away by the current into the Sea of Okhotsk. His companions stayed on the roof of the truck and waited for the tide to recede instead of diving in after him. Safronov, a resident of the village of Torom, worked for a local utility company. He is the father of two young sons, aged six and eight. The search operation for him has been suspended due to worsening weather conditions in the region.