A remarkable tale of survival and heartbreaking tragedy has unfolded off Alaska’s remote St. Lawrence Island, where a 15-year-old local boy was pulled to safety after days stranded atop an overturned fishing vessel in the frigid Bering Sea — a journey that claimed the lives of his older brother and cousin.
Derek Parker Aghnaanga, a member of the Siberian Yupik community of Savoonga, was the only survivor of the small 18-foot skiff that capsized during a routine fishing trip, according to U.S. Coast Guard officials and the teen’s family. The three had left the island’s village of roughly 800 residents on September 4, planning to return by the following Sunday afternoon. When the vessel failed to arrive back at port as scheduled, the Coast Guard launched an urgent search operation across the frigid northern waters.
On Monday morning, a Coast Guard aircrew spotted Aghnaanga perched on the hull of the capsized boat, and a nearby commercial fishing vessel captained by Adam White answered the call to aid, pulling the teen from the water and recovering the bodies of his two deceased relatives. At the time of his rescue, the 15-year-old showed clear symptoms of hypothermia after enduring 48 hours without food or clean water in water temperatures hovering around 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).
In an interview with local Anchorage outlet KTUU-TV, White praised the teen’s extraordinary resilience, calling him “one tough kid.” The captain recalled that through chattering teeth, Aghnaanga told rescuers his brother had been trapped beneath the overturned hull, while his cousin had slipped away and drowned in the hours before the rescue team arrived.
The teen’s mother, Vina Kulowiyi, shared context for the trip in a public Facebook post, explaining that the boys were carrying out a long-held community tradition: fishing and hunting to provide meat for Savoonga residents who often lack consistent access to affordable groceries at the village’s only local store.
“My boys were born and raised to be providers. A tradition that is passed on,” Kulowiyi wrote. “We hunt and provide for families and share the community.”
Kulowiyi added that her surviving son displayed remarkable courage throughout his ordeal, saying “He was never afraid the whole time” and that he “sat praying the whole time” while waiting for rescue. As of the latest updates, Aghnaanga is recovering at home with his family.
In a statement following the rescue and recovery operation, Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard’s Arctic District, extended condolences to the grieving community. “Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and communities affected by the tragic loss of these two mariners,” Little said.