An Alaska teenager who survived nearly two days atop an overturned fishing skiff told his rescuers that his cousin had slipped away during the night and that his older brother remained beneath the vessel after the three were thrown into the frigid Bering Sea, according to rescuers and family members.Derek Parker Aghnaanga, 15, was spotted Monday morning on the capsized skiff roughly four miles east of St.Lawrence Island after he, his 35-year-old brother Sidney Kulowiyi and their cousin disappeared during a fishing trip."Through the teeth chattering, he had mentioned that his brother was still under the skiff," Adam White, captain of the fishing vessel Northwest Explorer, told Anchorage affiliate KTUU-TV.
"And then he said that, in the previous night, before our rescue, that his cousin had slipped away."A GoFundMe page organized by relatives said Aghnaanga tried to hold onto his brother and cousin after they died, before their bodies were recovered.TRAGEDY AT SEA LEAVES TEEN STRANDED ON OVERTURNED BOAT FOR NEARLY 3 DAYS IN FRIGID WATERSThis image taken from video provided by Carlos Alexis Escartin shows a teenager being rescued by a fishing vessel Monday, Sept.7, 2026, in the Bering Sea near St.
Lawrence Island, Alaska.(Carlos Alexis Escartin via AP)A U.S.
Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircrew from Air Station Kodiak spotted Aghnaanga atop the overturned vessel and dropped a survival raft and equipment before deploying flares to guide the Northwest Explorer to his location.Crew members aboard the Northwest Explorer pulled Aghnaanga to safety and recovered the bodies of Kulowiyi and the teenager's cousin.Aghnaanga was experiencing symptoms of hypothermia when he was rescued.Crew members wrapped him in blankets and used hot packs to warm him as the vessel transported him to Nome.A 15-year-old survivor sits atop a capsized vessel while being towed to safety during a rescue operation off St.
Lawrence Island, Alaska, U.S., September 7, 2026, in this screen grab from a h...