A 15-year-old boy from Alaska survived nearly three days stranded on an upturned boat at sea while the bodies of his brother and cousin floated below.
Derek Parker Aghnaanga was rescued after 62 hours sitting on top of the vessel, which had flipped upside down while sailing off the Alaskan coast in ice-cold waters. Derek had been fishing with his cousin and brother, Sidney Kulowiyi and Barton Rookok, when their skiff overturned.
It is not clear exactly what caused the vessel to flip over. Alaska State Troopers notified Coast Guards last Sunday (September 6) that the boys hadn't come home, with officials eventually spotting the teen clinging to his small boat nearly three days later.
Rescue captain calls teen 'one tough kid'
The captain of the rescue team detailed the dramatic episode to Alaskan outlet News Source, describing young Derek as "tough". Captain Adam White said: “Saturday, all the way to Tuesday, that kid was on top of that skiff. I mean, that's one tough kid.”
“Through the teeth chattering, he had mentioned that his brother was still under the skiff and then he said that in the previous night before our rescue that his cousin had slipped away off the top of the skiff.”
By the time crew members pulled Derek on board, he was suffering hypothermia symptoms. Crew members wrapped him in blankets and kept him talking as they headed toward Nome, to reunite him with his family.
Brother and cousin identified
Tragically, Derek's brother and cousin didn't make it home alive, with the bodies of both being found and brought to shore.
A spokesperson for Alaska Department of Public Safety said: "Alaska State Troopers were notified of three overdue boaters from Savoonga. The U.S. Coast Guard began an aerial search and located one of the boaters alive and holding onto the outside of an overturned boat. The other two boaters were located in the area deceased. They were identified as Sidney Kulowiyi, age 35, and Barton Rookok, age 34, both of Savoonga."
Fundraiser for funeral costs
A GoFundMe has been set up by Derek's relatives to help with funeral costs. So far they have raised $42,000 of the $45,000 goal.
On the site, a family member has said: “Our village is mourning the loss of two. My nephew tried to hang onto them as long as he could after they drowned. Eventually their bodies were found and retrieved. Please donate what you can or share to help his family and my sister. All funds will go straight to my other nephew. Any help is appreciated. Pictures are him with his children.”
