15-year-old boy who survived 62 hours lost at sea tells rescuers two family members died
A 15-year-old Alaskan boy, who was rescued from a capsized boat after 62 hours at sea, made the chilling revelation that two members of his family died during the ordeal.
Derek Parker Aghnaanga had been fishing on a small skiff near St. Lawrence with his cousin and brother when it overturned on September 4, washing away into the Bering Sea.
However, that would be the start of the nightmare.
After the group didn't return, per The Post, Alaska State Troopers notified the Coast Guard that they had not returned home to Savoonga, and asked the Northwest Explorer and its crew to collect them.
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The three were set to return at 3am on Sunday, as reported by Sky News.
But days later, when the Coast Guard spotted the teenager clinging to the capsized skiff at around 10:30 am (local time) on September 7, they would soon find out just what Derek had been through over the weekend.
Derek's mother, Vina Kulowiyi, was listening to a radio transmission of the rescue on Monday, Collen Walker, an aunt of the two brothers, said per Sky News.
"We all cried and jumped for joy when the captain announced on the radio, 'We found a kid, he's alive, he's alive,'" she said. "Then we asked, 'Where's the rest of them?'"
According to Derek, his older brother, 35-year-old Sidney Kulowiyi, and cousin, Barton Rookok, 34, had drowned after coming off the skiff, said relatives to Alaska’s News Source.
According to the outlet, Sidney was the boat's captain, who had died after becoming stuck under the boat.
Horrifyingly, Derek would go on to tell rescuers upon being taken onboard, that his brother was still underneath the overturned skiff, and later, the body of his cousin was also recovered.
“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,” Adam White, captain of the Northwest Explorer, told the outlet.
When White and his crew found Derek, he was suffering hypothermia symptoms.
“Saturday, all the way to Tuesday, that kid was on top of that skiff. I mean, that’s one tough kid,” White said.
As for how the rescue was conducted, it began when the crew saw something in the distance.
“We saw the unusual object on the horizon. We blasted our horn a couple times," White explained.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s remarkable, and it’s cold. The water is 10 degrees Celsius,” White added.
In a Facebook post, Derek's mother spoke of her relief following the incident.
"My survivor. His story is amazing. He was never afraid the whole time," she wrote. "He knew he would be OK knowing his big brother was under the boat. He lived on prayer with no food and water. Love you son."
She said her son looked at his older brother as a sort of father figure since their dad died years before, and called the commercial fishing captain, a 'provider for people in the village.'
Britt Jones