World
Teenager Rescued After Two Days Adrift in Bering Sea
A 15-year-old boy, Derek Parker Aghnaanga, was rescued after surviving nearly two days in the freezing waters of Alaska's Bering Sea. He clung to an overturned fishing boat after it capsized. The rescue occurred on Monday near St. Lawrence Island, an Alaskan island situated closer to Russia than the mainland United States. Aghnaanga's older brother, 35-year-old Sidney Kulowiyi, and a cousin were also on the boat and went missing; their bodies were later recovered.
The three individuals had departed from the village of Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island on Friday for a fishing trip and were expected to return by early Sunday. Their families reported them missing on Sunday night. A US Coast Guard aircraft located the overturned skiff on Monday morning. Rescuers dropped supplies and a raft before contacting The Northwest Explorer, a nearby fishing vessel, which then assisted in the rescue.
Adam White, captain of The Northwest Explorer, informed KTUU-TV in Anchorage that Aghnaanga had endured darkness and water temperatures of approximately 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). According to White, Aghnaanga told rescuers that his brother was still beneath the overturned boat and that his cousin had held on for some time before slipping away the previous night.
Footage of the rescue shows Aghnaanga, wearing a bright yellow jacket, kneeling on the overturned boat. The crew of The Northwest Explorer threw him a line, brought the skiff closer, and transferred him into a rescue basket. Upon being brought aboard, the teenager exhibited signs of hypothermia. The crew used blankets and hot packs to warm him.
Collen Walker, an aunt of the brothers, stated that Aghnaanga's mother listened to radio communications during the rescue, with relatives gathered around a speakerphone. Walker reported that the family reacted emotionally upon hearing the captain announce that a child had been found alive. Fishing is integral to life in Savoonga, a community of about 800 people. Walker noted that Aghnaanga frequently fished with Kulowiyi, who was considered a dependable figure in the community and a father figure to Aghnaanga after their own father's death.