A 15-year-old boy from Alaska has survived more than 62 hours clinging to an overturned fishing boat in the freezing Bering Sea after his older brother and cousin died in the accident.
Derek Parker Aghnaanga had gone halibut fishing with his 35-year-old brother, Sidney Kulowiyi, and 34-year-old cousin, Barton Rookok, when their small fishing skiff capsized near St. Lawrence Island on September 4.
Aghnaanga was the only survivor.
When rescuers reached him, the teenager revealed that his brother was still trapped beneath the overturned boat, while his cousin had slipped from the vessel into the sea the previous night.
Captain Adam White of the fishing vessel Northwest Explorer, which participated in the rescue, said the teenager was shivering badly when his crew pulled him from the skiff.
The Coast Guard had spotted Aghnaanga at about 10:30 a.m. Monday, roughly four miles from St. Lawrence Island, after authorities were alerted that the three fishermen had failed to return home.
The Northwest Explorer was directed to the location, where its crew rescued the teenager and took him towards Nome for medical attention and reunification with his family.
Aghnaanga had spent the ordeal without food or drinking water and was showing symptoms of hypothermia when rescued. His rescuers wrapped him in blankets and kept him talking while they worked to stabilise him.
According to family members, the boat’s captain, Kulowiyi, became trapped beneath the overturned vessel after it capsized. Rookok initially survived alongside Aghnaanga on the exposed hull but later entered the water and drowned.
Captain White described the teenager’s survival as remarkable, saying he had remained on top of the skiff from Saturday until Tuesday.
The tragedy has left the family mourning the deaths of Kulowiyi and Rookok, while Aghnaanga’s survival has been described as extraordinary given the cold conditions and length of time he spent at sea.
