Rescue after days adrift in Alaska’s Bering Sea
A 15‑year‑old boy was rescued after spending days perched atop an overturned 18‑foot fishing skiff floating in the frigid waters near St Lawrence Island, an isolated community on Alaska’s coast. The boy, Derek Parker Aghnaanga, survived while two family members—an older brother and a cousin—were lost.
The skiff left the island on Friday, 4 September, with the intention of returning Sunday. When the vessel failed to arrive, the U.S. Coast Guard launched a search. On Monday morning, a Coast Guard aircrew spotted the boy on the capsized boat. A vessel from the local community then pulled him to safety using a pulley system, while also recovering the bodies of his missing relatives.
“Our hearts go out to the families, friends and communities affected by this tragic loss,” said Rear‑Admiral Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard’s Arctic District.
The boy suffered signs of hypothermia when rescued. The captain of the rescue vessel, Adam White, told a local Anchorage news outlet that Derek had clung to the skiff “through darkness” and in water temperatures around 50°F (10°C). He reported that Derek mentioned his brother remained underneath the skiff and later that his cousin had slipped away during the previous night.
The family’s mother, Vina Kulowiyi, shared that the boys were “doing what they loved: fishing to provide for members of their community who don’t always have access to meat at the local store.” The Savoonga community, home to about 800 residents and primarily inhabited by Siberian Yupik peoples, relies on hunting and fishing to sustain local families.
Vina said her son is recovering at home and praised his courage: “His story is amazing. He was never afraid the whole time.” She added that he sat “praying the whole time.”
