Alaska Teen Rescued from Overturned Boat in Bering Sea After Two Relatives Perish

A 15-year-old boy has been pulled alive from the frigid waters of the Bering Sea after surviving for days atop the hull of an overturned skiff, recounting to his rescuers the heartbreaking loss of his brother and cousin during their fishing expedition.

The teenager, identified as Derek Parker Aghnaanga, was discovered clinging to the capsized boat roughly four miles east of St. Lawrence Island. The rescue brought an end to an urgent multi-agency search that began after the group failed to return to their home village on schedule.

When searchers arrived at the scene, Aghnaanga was battling severe exposure but was able to explain the harrowing circumstances surrounding the accident. Adam White, the captain of the fishing vessel Northwest Explorer, which assisted in the recovery, described the emotional encounter during an interview with Anchorage television station KTUU-TV.

According to White, the teenager was visibly shivering from the cold as he shared the fate of his family members. Aghnaanga explained through chattering teeth that his older brother remained trapped underneath the overturned skiff, and that his cousin had tragically slipped away into the water during the night prior to the rescue.

Details shared by relatives through an online fundraiser revealed that Aghnaanga made desperate efforts to hold onto the bodies of his brother and cousin after they died, attempting to keep them alongside the vessel until emergency personnel could locate them.

The perilous journey originally began on Friday, when Aghnaanga, his 35-year-old brother Sidney Kulowiyi, and their cousin departed from the remote Alaska Native village of Savoonga. The group set out for a fishing trip and had intended to return home early Sunday morning.

Concern mounted quickly when the fishermen did not arrive as planned. Family members officially reported the party missing on Sunday evening, prompting state and federal authorities to launch an extensive search and rescue mission across the surrounding waters.

The breakthrough in the operation occurred on Monday morning when a U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircrew, deployed from Air Station Kodiak, spotted the overturned vessel with Aghnaanga sitting on top. The flight crew promptly deployed a life raft and survival gear into the water, followed by flares to mark the exact position for nearby surface vessels.

Guided by the aerial flares, the crew of the Northwest Explorer arrived on the scene to complete the rescue. Responders successfully lifted the teenager out of the water and recovered the bodies of Kulowiyi and the cousin from the sea.

Aghnaanga was suffering from noticeable symptoms of hypothermia at the time he was brought aboard the vessel. Rescuers immediately swaddled the teenager in blankets and used hot packs to gradually raise his core body temperature while the ship transported him toward Nome for medical evaluation.

The tragedy has left a profound impact on Savoonga, an isolated island community of approximately 800 residents where halibut fishing serves as a cornerstone of subsistence and local economic life.

Colleen Walker, an aunt of the brothers, spoke about the devastating loss while remembering Kulowiyi as a humble commercial fishing captain and dedicated provider for the village. She noted that Kulowiyi leaves behind children who depended on him.

Walker described the overwhelming relief and grief that rippled through the family as they monitored the rescue effort via emergency communications. Speaking to The Associated Press, she recounted how relatives wept and celebrated with joy after hearing the vessel captain announce over the radio that the boy had been found alive.

Following the rescue, relatives established a GoFundMe campaign to assist Kulowiyi's family and provide long-term support for his surviving children. The community responded with an outpouring of aid, contributing more than $42,000 toward the $45,000 goal by Monday morning.

Regional military leaders also expressed their grief regarding the fatal voyage. Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard Arctic District, released a statement extending heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and community members mourning the loss of the two mariners.

The extensive search and rescue operation was coordinated by the Coast Guard Arctic District alongside the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, the Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing, the Alaska State Troopers, and local search teams in Savoonga.

Authorities have not yet established what caused the fishing skiff to capsize, with both the U.S. Coast Guard and the Alaska State Troopers noting that the circumstances leading up to the vessel overturning remain under review.