Boy who survived 62 hours lost at sea desperately tried to hang onto bodies of his brother & cousin in harrowing ordeal

Comment now

A BOY lost at sea for 62 hours fought desperately to hold onto the bodies of his brother and cousin, his family has revealed.

Derek Parker Aghnaanga, 15, was the sole survivor after his fishing boat capsized in freezing waters off an Alaskan island on September 4.

Derek had been fishing for halibut with his older brother and cousin when their small skiff overturned near St. Lawrence Island and drifted into the Bering Sea.

His brother and cousin both died in the horror ordeal, leaving him alone on the overturned skiff for three days until rescuers finally spotted him.

His aunt, Colleen Walker, said her young nephew tried to hang onto his family for “as long as he could after they drowned”, in a recent GoFundMe appeal.

The alarm was first raised when the group didn’t return on schedule.

Most read in The Sun

PUB TECH

Digital ID set to replace physical proof of age for buying booze at pubs & shops

DRILL TIME

UK gas supply at risk this winter as Labour warned over North Sea drilling delay

DON’S RAGE

Trump blasts calls to slow AI development as ‘sick conspiracy’ that helps China

“And he was able to hold on while we sort of reeled him in. And I just, like, can’t believe how tough this kid is.”

Recounting the horror, the boy’s mom, Vina Kulowiyi, wrote on Facebook: “4 days and 3 nights. He lived on prayer with no food and water. … He said he sat like this praying the whole time.”

She said her son is now catching up on his sleep after the harrowing ordeal that claimed the lives of his brother, Sidney Kulowiyi, 35, and cousin, Barton Rookok, 34.

His mum revealed in an emotional post that a new grandchild in the family has been named after her son Sidney.

Sidney was the skiff’s captain and drowned after getting stuck under the capsized vessel.

Barton survived with Derek for a day before becoming distressed, entering the water and dying.

Rescue boat captain Adam told KTUU: “Through the teeth chattering, [Derek] had mentioned that his brother was still under the skiff.”

The surviving teen was suffering hypothermia symptoms when Northwest Explorer crew members wrapped him in blankets and kept him talking as they headed toward home to reunite him with his family.

A week on, the family believe that one of the fishing lines which became tangled in the motor caused the boat to overturn.

The teen’s aunt said the entire village is mourning the tragic loss of the two lives.

She has asked for donations via the fundraising site to go towards helping the family.