Derek Parker Aghnaanga had set out on September 4 with his 35-year-old brother, Sidney Kulowiyi, and their cousin to fish for halibut, according to reports by KTUU, The New York Times and the Associated Press. The three were expected to return to St Lawrence Island around 3 am on September 6. When they failed to return, authorities were alerted, and a search operation was launched.
Dense fog initially prevented rescuers from searching the waters. The Coast Guard resumed the operation the following morning with support from the Alaska Air National Guard, local officials, and other agencies, an AP report stated.
At around 10.30 am on September 7, the Coast Guard spotted Aghnaanga clinging to the capsized vessel. A nearby fishing ship, the Northwest Explorer, was asked to rescue him. The vessel, carrying 13 crew members including NOAA scientists, was about 39 miles away and took nearly four hours to reach him.
Aghnaanga was found kneeling on the hull in a bright yellow jacket and suffering from hypothermia. Too weak to swim to an inflatable raft dropped by the Coast Guard, he was pulled aboard using a rope, the AP stated.
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The video has since gone viral, drawing a wave of reactions. “The mental fortitude to pull through something like this, hats off to the kid,” a Social Media user wrote. “48 hours in freezing Bering Sea waters after losing his family… the mental strength of this kid is beyond comprehension,” another user commented.
His brother, who was the vessel’s captain, died after getting trapped beneath the boat, while their cousin died earlier. The cause of the vessel capsizing remains unknown.
The Northwest Explorer crew covered Aghnaanga in blankets and monitored his condition before taking him to Nome, Alaska, where they arrived on September 8.
