Teen boy rescued after days lost adrift in Alaskan waters

Derek Parker Aghnaanga was rescued Monday after spending days sitting on top of a capsized skiff in the frigid waters of Alaska’s Bering Sea. The US Coast Guard identified him as the lone survivor from the three-person incident, in which his older brother and cousin died. The trio departed from St. Lawrence Island on Friday, 4 September, planning to return Sunday afternoon, but the 18-foot fishing vessel never came back, prompting a search. A Coast Guard aircrew found the boy atop the overturned boat Monday morning, and a nearby good Samaritan vessel rescued him and recovered the bodies of the two relatives. Rear Adm. Bob Little said the Coast Guard’s Arctic District offered condolences to affected families and communities. Aghnaanga showed signs of hypothermia, and the captain of the rescuing fishing boat said the water temperatures were around 50F (10C).