A 15-year-old boy survived for nearly two days by clinging to an overturned fishing boat in Alaska’s icy waters before rescuers found him suffering from hypothermia. Two other people aboard the vessel died.
JUNEAU, Alaska — A teenager spent roughly 48 hours holding onto the hull of a capsized fishing skiff off Alaska’s western coast before a U.S. Coast Guard aircrew spotted him Monday afternoon in the remote Bering Sea.
The two people who did not survive were identified by KTUU in Anchorage as the boy’s older brother and cousin.
The vessel had last been seen Friday near St. Lawrence Island after leaving the village of Savoonga. It was expected back around 3 a.m. Sunday, but when it failed to return, the Coast Guard Arctic District began a multi-day search across the isolated and dangerous waters.
Search crews made the critical discovery at about 3 p.m. Monday, when an HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak located the capsized skiff roughly 4 miles east of St. Lawrence Island. The teen was still clinging to the overturned boat. The crew dropped a life raft and survival gear, then placed a line of flares to direct a nearby good Samaritan vessel, the Northwest Explorer, to the site.
The Northwest Explorer rescued the teenager from the overturned vessel as he showed signs of hypothermia. The bodies of the two victims were recovered from the water and brought aboard the good Samaritan vessel, which transported them to Nome, Alaska, on the mainland.
“Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and communities affected by the tragic loss of these two mariners,” said Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Arctic District. “We are grateful for the incredible efforts of the motor vessel Northwest Explorer, Federal, State, Village first responders and mission partners who assisted in the effort that resulted in a life saved.”
The Coast Guard has not publicly released the names of those involved. Officials have not yet said what caused the boat to overturn.
