Two relatives from St Lawrence Island died and a 15-year-old was rescued after their 18-foot skiff overturned in the Bering Sea, a loss that removes two local subsistence providers and leaves a boy in his family’s care.
The three left the island on Friday 4 September and were expected back the following Sunday afternoon, the US Coast Guard said. When the vessel did not return as scheduled, authorities launched a search operation.
Coast Guard aircrew located the teenager on Monday morning, perched on the overturned boat. A nearby commercial vessel pulled him aboard and recovered the other two passengers; the good Samaritan vessel recovered the bodies of the two relatives.
Relatives identified the survivor as Derek Parker Aghnaanga. Rescuers reported he showed signs of hypothermia on rescue, and said the sea temperature was about 50F, 10C.
Captain Adam White, who helped bring the teenager to safety, said Aghnaanga clung to the skiff through the night and told rescuers his brother remained beneath the overturned boat before his cousin slipped away the previous night. "That's one tough kid," White said.
Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard's Arctic District, offered condolences to the families, saying, "Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and communities affected by the tragic loss of these two mariners."
The pair had been fishing to provide meat for residents of Savoonga, the boys' mother, Vina Kulowiyi, wrote on Facebook, noting access to store-bought food can be limited in the community. "My boys were born and raised to be providers. A tradition that is passed on," she wrote, adding that her surviving son was recovering at home and had been "praying the whole time" as she described his recovery as "amazing."
The incident underscores how hazardous small-boat work can be in the Bering Sea and how remote Arctic communities depend on subsistence fishing. The Coast Guard and local mariners conducted the search and recovery operations, and the rescued teenager remains with his family as authorities complete their response.
