Alaskan Teen Survives 62 Hours Adrift in Bering Sea After Boat Capsizes

A 15-year-old Alaskan boy survived approximately 62 hours adrift on an overturned fishing skiff in the frigid Bering Sea before being rescued, while his older brother and cousin perished in the incident. Derek Parker Aghnaanga was found on September 7 after clinging to the capsized vessel near St. Lawrence Island, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and rescuer accounts. The teenager had left the village of Savoonga on September 4 with his brother, Sidney Kulowiyi, 35, and cousin, Barton Rookok, 34, for a halibut fishing trip. Their 18-foot skiff capsized on the night of September 5. Authorities were alerted after the group failed to return as planned on September 6, prompting a search by Alaska State Troopers and the Coast Guard. Dense fog initially hampered the search, but conditions improved the following morning. At approximately 10:30 a.m. on September 7, a Coast Guard aircrew spotted Aghnaanga on the overturned hull. The aircrew dropped flares and life rafts, but the teenager was too weak from hypothermia to reach them. The nearby fishing vessel Northwest Explorer, carrying NOAA scientists, was directed to the scene and rescued him about four hours later.