A 15-year-old Alaskan boy survived an unimaginable 62 hours clinging to an overturned boat in the freezing Bering Sea — only to reveal to his rescuers that he had watched his older brother and cousin die during the ordeal.
Derek Parker Aghnaanga had been halibut fishing with his 35-year-old brother, Sidney Kulowiyi, and his 34-year-old cousin, Barton Rookok, when their small skiff overturned near St. Lawrence Island on September 4.
The teenager managed to remain on top of the capsized vessel as it drifted through the Bering Sea. His brother, who was the boat’s captain, became trapped underneath the skiff and died.
His cousin later slipped from the top of the boat and disappeared into the water.
By the time rescuers reached Aghnaanga, he had endured roughly three days at sea without food or water.
Fifteen-year-old Derek Parker Aghnaanga sitting on top of a capsized vessel while being towed to safety during a rescue operation off St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. via REUTERS
“That Kid Was on Top of That Skiff”
The dramatic ordeal came to light when the crew of the fishing vessel Northwest Explorer spotted what initially appeared to be an unusual object on the horizon.
Captain Adam White recalled seeing the overturned boat and sounding the vessel’s horn several times.
Then the crew realized there was someone alive on top of it.
“We saw the unusual object on the horizon. We blasted our horn a couple times,” White told Alaska’s News Source.
Aghnaanga (right) watched his brother get stuck under the skiff and his cousin slip away during the three-day ordeal in the Bering Sea. GoFundMe
The Coast Guard had spotted the teenager at around 10:30 a.m. Monday. Alaska State Troopers had alerted authorities the previous night after learning that the fishing party had failed to return home.
The Northwest Explorer, carrying a crew of 13 as well as scientists, was asked to assist with the rescue.
As the vessel approached, rescuers discovered Aghnaanga clinging to the overturned skiff.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s remarkable, and it’s cold,” White said, noting that the water temperature was around 10 degrees Celsius.
Teenager Suffering From Hypothermia
The Alaskan teen was rescued after 3 days on a capsized boat, revealing his brother and cousin died. Facebook/@vina.kulowiyi
When Aghnaanga was finally brought aboard the Northwest Explorer, he was showing symptoms of hypothermia.
Crew members immediately wrapped him in blankets and kept him talking while the vessel headed toward Nome, where he could be reunited with his family.
Despite his physical condition, the teenager was able to tell the crew what had happened to the other two men.
“Through the teeth chattering, he had mentioned that his brother was still under the skiff and then he said that in the previous night before our rescue that his cousin had slipped away off the top of the skiff,” White recalled.
Aghnaanga’s family later confirmed that Kulowiyi and Rookok had drowned.
Aghnaanga had been fishing for halibut along with his cousin and brother when their small skiff overturned. Carlos Alexis Escartin via AP
For more than two days, the teenager had remained on the overturned boat, exposed to the cold and without food or water, while knowing that his brother and cousin were gone.
“Saturday, all the way to Tuesday, that kid was on top of that skiff. I mean, that’s one tough kid,” White said.
The rescue brought an end to an ordeal that could easily have ended in another tragedy. Aghnaanga was the only member of the fishing party to survive.
A GoFundMe campaign has since been established to support the family and help cover funeral expenses. The fundraiser had already come close to its $40,000 goal.
For the rescuers who found him, however, the teenager’s survival after 62 hours alone in the freezing Bering Sea was nothing short of remarkable.
