A 15-year-old boy clung to the top of an overturned boat in Alaska's frigid Bering Sea for about two days. Their boat capsized while they were out fishing. After losing his brother, the young man witnessed his relatives being swallowed by the sea.
The Associated Press reported that relatives identified the boy as Derek Parker Aghnaanga. He was lifted up by a fishing boat and rescued ashore on the 8th near St. Lawrence Island, a remote island in Alaska that is closer to Russia than to the United States. The bodies of his relatives and brother were later recovered. The teenager told one of the rescuers that his relatives also held on to the capsized boat for a while, but could not hold on until they were rescued. The captain of the fishing boat who came to the rescue said Agnaanga was clinging to the boat in the dark. The water temperature at the time was about 10 degrees Celsius.
Adam White, the captain of the rescue ship "The Northwest Explorer", said in an interview: "That's a really strong kid. He said with chattering teeth that his brother was still under the boat. Then he said that the night before our rescue, his relative could no longer hold on and slid into the sea." After their families reported that the three people were missing the night before, U.S. Coast Guard planes and helicopters launched a search and rescue operation on the morning of the 8th. The Coast Guard stated that the group left the village of Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island on the 4th and originally planned to return in the early morning of the 6th.
Collen Walker, the two brothers' aunt, said that there are about 800 residents in the village of Saugue and there are few employment opportunities. Fishing for Atlantic halibut is the core of the local culture and is crucial to the survival of the village. Residents often share their catch with family and neighbors, she said. "This is how we help each other in our community. We take care of each other, and even though the world is changing, we still live a traditional way of life." Walker said that the rescued teenager Agnaanga often went fishing with his 35-year-old brother Sidney Kulowiyi. Since their father died when they were young, he has always regarded his brother as a father-like presence.
She described Kulovei, who captained a commercial fishing vessel, as a humble and caring "caretaker of the village". She did not reveal the name of the deceased relative, saying only that he was also from the village of Saug. She learned that their boat capsized deep in the sea on the night of the 5th. The Coast Guard said one of its crews discovered the boy on the morning of the 8th and launched a life raft and supplies before contacting the Northwest Explorer. Walker said that when the rescue operation was underway on the 8th, Agnaanga's mother was listening to the radio broadcast, and other family members gathered around the hands-free receiver to follow the latest developments.
