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US citizen detained in Russia’s Chukotka region gets treatment for flu

The US citizen was admitted to the Chukotka District Hospital on August 3

MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/. /TASS/. US citizen John Martin, who accidentally sailed to Russia’s Chukotka region from Alaska, has been treated for a flu at the Chukotka District Hospital, a source in the medical facility told TASS on Tuesday.

"The American patient was treated for a flu and now is undergoing another medical treatment. He is doing fine and has even started to learn a bit of Russian," the source said.

The US citizen was admitted to the Chukotka District Hospital on August 3.

Russian law enforcement agencies said earlier that John Martin William III came from Alaska’s city of Soldotna and currently lived in Anchorage. He was traveling down the Yukon River across Alaska in a one-man boat and at some point decided to take to the open sea, however, given bad weather and his lack of navigation devices, the rafter ended up in Russia.

The Chukotka authorities notified the US Consulate in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok about the incident.

According to earlier reports, the US citizen who sailed to Russia’s Far Eastern Chukotka region in a raft boat was detained by border guards for illegally crossing the frontier. The incident occurred on August 1.