Boy rescued after days on capsized boat in Alaska waters
Teen found on overturned fishing boat
A 15-year-old boy has been rescued after spending days on top of a fishing boat that overturned in the freezing waters of Alaska’s Bering Sea. Family members identified him as Derek Parker Aghnaanga, the only survivor of the incident.
Aghnaanga had been travelling with his older brother and cousin. Both relatives died after the boat capsized, according to officials and the boy’s family.
Search begins after boat fails to return
The three had left St Lawrence Island on Friday, 4 September, and planned to return on Sunday afternoon. When their 18-foot fishing boat did not come back, the US Coast Guard launched a search operation.
A Coast Guard aircraft found the boy sitting on the overturned boat on Monday morning. A nearby good Samaritan vessel then rescued him and also recovered the bodies of his two relatives.
Boy survives without food or water
The boat overturned on Saturday, leaving Aghnaanga alone at sea for two days without food or water. The boy showed signs of hypothermia when rescuers reached him.
The captain of the boat that rescued him said the teenager had held on through darkness and water temperatures of around 50F (10C). "That's one tough kid," Captain Adam White told KTUU-TV.
"Through the teeth chattering, he had mentioned that his brother was still under the skiff," White added. "And then he said that, in the previous night, before our rescue, that his cousin had slipped away."
Family remembers victims and survivor
The Coast Guard expressed sympathy for the families and communities affected by the tragedy. "Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and communities affected by the tragic loss of these two mariners," said Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard’s Arctic District.
Aghnaanga’s mother, Vina Kulowiyi, said her sons were fishing to help families in their community who often struggle to find meat at local stores. She said the boys were raised to support others and continue a long family tradition.
"My boys were born and raised to be providers. A tradition that is passed on," Kulowiyi wrote on Facebook. "We hunt and provide for families and share the community."
The family lives in Savoonga, a village of around 800 people on St Lawrence Island. The community is mainly home to Siberian Yupik people, and the main languages are English and St Lawrence Island Yupik.
Kulowiyi said her surviving son is recovering at home. The incident has drawn attention to the dangers faced by people travelling in Alaska’s cold and difficult waters.
The boy’s survival shows remarkable strength and courage. The tragedy also highlights the risks of fishing in remote waters, where cold temperatures and changing weather can quickly become dangerous.
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