A 15-year-old boy from Alaska survived nearly three days clinging to a capsized fishing skiff in the Bering Sea after his brother and cousin perished in the waters around him. The teen was spotted sitting atop the overturned vessel, suffering from hypothermia after enduring brutal conditions without food or water, the New York Post reported.
The ordeal began in early September when the boy set out to fish for halibut with his brother and cousin near St. Lawrence Island in Alaska. The three launched in a small fishing skiff, but at some point the boat capsized and began drifting in the open sea.
The teenager remained alone, gripping the hull of the overturned craft, while his brother and cousin did not survive. During the rescue, the boy recounted that his 35-year-old brother, who had been piloting the skiff, became trapped beneath it and could not free himself. Later, during the night before the rescue, his 34-year-old cousin, who had also been on top of the boat, slipped and fell into the water.
"Through chattering teeth, he said his brother was still under the boat, and then he told us that the night before the rescue his cousin had slipped off the boat," recalled Adam White, captain of the fishing vessel involved in the rescue, in an interview with Alaska media.
According to the New York Post report, the search for the three began after they failed to return home on schedule. On Sunday evening, Coast Guard personnel and Alaska State Troopers were notified that the family members were missing, and efforts to locate them commenced. The crew of the fishing vessel Northwest Explorer, carrying 13 crew members alongside scientists, was asked to assist in the search.
The following day, around 10:30 in the morning, Coast Guard personnel and the crew spotted an unusual object on the horizon. At first it was unclear what they were seeing, but as the ship drew closer it became apparent that it was the capsized fishing skiff—with a living person on top.
"We saw the odd object on the horizon. We blew the horn a few times," White recounted. Shortly afterward, the crew realized that atop the boat was a teenager fighting to survive.
The crew managed to reach the skiff and pull the boy to safety. According to the captain, the mere fact that the teen survived under those conditions was almost incomprehensible. The seawater in the area was only about 10 degrees Celsius, and the boy had been on the boat for approximately 62 hours, without food or water.
"He was out there from Saturday until Tuesday. That's one tough kid," White said after the rescue.
When the teenager was brought aboard the ship, crew members wrapped him in blankets and tried to keep him conscious and talking while the vessel made its way to Nome, where his family members were waiting. He was suffering from symptoms of hypothermia following prolonged exposure to the cold and water.
The boy's mother said her son had to hold on for days atop the boat after his older brother, who had been responsible for the voyage, died after becoming trapped beneath the vessel. He subsequently lost his cousin as well, who slipped and fell into the water during the night.
Alone in the middle of the sea, the teenager continued to cling to the boat and wait for someone to spot him. Ultimately, a fishing vessel passing through the area managed to identify the skiff and bring to an end one of the most extraordinary survival incidents recorded in the region.
