Boy, 15, is rescued after clinging on to capsized boat for two days in Alaska’s Bering Sea after his brother and cousin drowned

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Boy, 15, is rescued after clinging on to capsized boat for two days in Alaska’s Bering Sea after his brother and cousin drowned

Daily Mail · 16 hours ago

A 15-year-old boy, Derek Parker Aghnaanga, has been rescued after clinging to a capsized fishing boat in Alaska's Bering Sea for roughly two days, following an accident that killed his older brother and cousin. The teenager had gone fishing with the pair near St Lawrence Island last Friday when their skiff capsized, and he survived by staying atop the overturned vessel through cold, dark conditions until he was spotted and hoisted to safety on Monday. The incident highlights the risks faced by families in remote Alaskan communities who rely on subsistence fishing.

Aghnaanga endured water temperatures of around 10°C and told rescuers his cousin had also clung to the boat but died the night before he was found. His brother, 35-year-old Sidney Kulowiyi, a commercial fishing captain whom Aghnaanga viewed as a father figure, was found dead beneath the skiff, while the cousin's body was also recovered. US Coast Guard aircraft located the boy on Monday morning after the group, from the village of Savoonga, was reported missing; he was showing signs of hypothermia and was warmed with blankets by the crew of the fishing boat Northwest Explorer, whose captain praised his resilience.

  • Teenager survived two days clinging to capsized boat in Bering Sea
  • His brother and cousin drowned in the same accident
  • Coast Guard and a fishing boat rescued him showing signs of hypothermia

World

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