A 15-year-old Alaskan boy named Derek Parker Aghnanga was rescued after about 62 hours adrift on an overturned fishing boat in the Bering Sea. His family says he had tried to cling to the bodies of his brother and cousin who drowned.
Details of the Incident
Derek was the sole survivor of a three-person fishing trip that ended near St. Lawrence Island. His brother, Sidney Klovey, 35, and his cousin, Barton Rokak, 34, lost their lives after the boat capsized. The trio set out from the Native village of Savoonga in Alaska on September 4 and was supposed to return to St. Lawrence Island by the morning of September 6, but they never reached their destination.
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Rescue Operation
Images show Derek kneeling on top of the capsized boat, surrounded by waves, as he tried to maintain hope. A U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 airplane spotted him on September 7 at 10:30 AM after Alaska State Police announced the group was overdue the night before. However, the search operation was delayed due to thick fog.
Derek spent several days exposed to the cold and waves without food and water until the Coast Guard requested help from a fishing vessel named Northwest Explorer, which was carrying 13 crew members and NOAA scientists.
Adam White, captain of Northwest Explorer, said, "This kid was on top of the boat from Saturday to Tuesday. He was really a resilient kid." The crew eventually reached Derek and brought him aboard the ship. White stated that the teenager was clearly suffering from the cold.
Derek told his aunt, Colleen Walker, that he tried to cling to his brother and cousin for as long as he could. Walker wrote in a GoFundMe campaign set up to help with the family's funeral expenses, "My nephew tried to hold on to them for as long as possible."
Derek has now returned to his family, and the Coast Guard recovered the bodies of Sidney and Barton and transferred them. This rescue was also an emotionally challenging experience for the crew.
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Source: independent.co.uk
