A 15-year-old boy has been rescued after spending about two days clinging to a capsized boat in the freezing Bering Sea off Alaska, while his older brother and cousin died in the incident.
Derek Parker Aghnaanga was found near St Lawrence Island on Monday, after relatives reported the three boaters missing when they failed to return to the remote village of Savoonga.
The group had left the island on Friday, 4 September, to fish for halibut and had been expected back early on Sunday. Their small boat overturned on Saturday night, leaving Aghnaanga stranded in open water.
Relatives said the teenager’s older brother became trapped beneath the boat, while his cousin remained with him for a time before disappearing into the sea.
Teen rescued from capsized boat in Bering Sea
US Coast Guard aircraft searching the area located Aghnaanga clinging to the upturned vessel at about 3pm on Monday, roughly four miles east of St Lawrence Island. A raft and survival equipment were dropped to him while rescuers coordinated with the nearby fishing vessel Northwest Explorer.
The fishing boat reached the scene and crew members pulled the teenager aboard. He was showing symptoms of hypothermia after being exposed to water temperatures of about 10C.
The bodies of the two other boaters were recovered from the water and taken aboard the Northwest Explorer, which transported them and the survivor to Nome.
Captain Adam White, of the Northwest Explorer, said the teenager was shaking uncontrollably when he was brought aboard.
“That’s one tough kid,” Mr White told KTUU-TV in Anchorage.
He said the boy indicated that his brother was still beneath the skiff and explained that his cousin had slipped away the previous night.
The Coast Guard said the search involved aircraft and helicopters from Air Station Kodiak, Alaska Air National Guard rescue units, Alaska State Troopers and local authorities in Savoonga. A Coast Guard aircraft also released a line of flares to guide the Northwest Explorer towards the overturned boat before leaving the area to refuel.
St Lawrence Island, in the Bering Sea, lies closer to Russia than to mainland Alaska. Savoonga, home to about 800 people, is a predominantly Indigenous community where halibut fishing remains an important source of food and part of the village’s traditional way of life.
Aghnaanga’s aunt said families in Savoonga commonly share their catch with relatives and neighbours.
“That’s how we do it in our community. We take care of one another,” she said.
