15-Year-Old Survives Nearly Two Days Alone on Overturned Boat in Freezing Sea

A 15-year-old boy has been rescued after spending nearly two days clinging to an overturned fishing boat in Alaska’s freezing Bering Sea, while his older brother and cousin died after the vessel capsized.

Derek Parker Aghnaanga had gone fishing with his 35-year-old brother, Sidney Kulowiyi, and their cousin from the remote village of Savoonga, Alaska. The three were expected to return early Sunday, but when they failed to come home, their families reported them missing.

The U.S. Coast Guard launched a search operation the following morning. An aircraft eventually spotted Derek sitting on top of the overturned boat approximately four miles from St. Lawrence Island.

By then, he had already spent around two days exposed to the cold, with water temperatures near 10°C. He was showing signs of hypothermia when rescuers reached him.

A nearby fishing vessel, The Northwest Explorer, was called in to assist. Captain Adam White and his crew travelled for several hours toward Derek’s location, following signals and flares from the Coast Guard aircraft.

When the crew reached him, Derek was wearing a bright yellow jacket and was kneeling on the overturned hull. Rescuers threw him a rope and pulled him aboard using a rescue basket. They immediately wrapped him in blankets and used hot packs to warm him.

The teenager told rescuers that his cousin had managed to hold onto the boat for some time but later slipped away. He also said his older brother remained beneath the overturned vessel. The bodies of both men were later recovered.

For Derek’s family, the moment they learned he had been found alive was overwhelming.

His aunt, Colleen Walker, said relatives had gathered around a speakerphone while listening to the rescue operation. When the fishing-boat captain announced that they had found a child alive, the family cried and celebrated, before asking what had happened to the other two men.

Derek’s mother later described her son as a survivor and said he had remained calm during the ordeal.

The three had been fishing for halibut, an important part of life in Savoonga, a community of around 800 people where residents often share their catch with family and neighbours. Derek frequently went fishing with his older brother, whom relatives described as an important figure in the family and a provider for people in the village.

The Coast Guard has not said what caused the fishing boat to capsize.

For Derek, the rescue ended a terrifying period alone at sea. He was brought to safety suffering from hypothermia and reunited with his family after the search.

Sources:
Associated Press – 15-year-old rescued after clinging to capsized boat
Sky News – Boy, 15, found clinging to capsized boat off Alaska
New York Times – Boy, 15, drifted for days on an overturned boat