A 15-year-old boy was rescued by a fishing vessel after spending days atop a capsized skiff in the icy waters of the Bering Sea off Alaska, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Tragically, the boy’s brother and cousin did not survive the ordeal. Their bodies were discovered after the teenager was saved near St. Lawrence Island, a remote Alaskan landmass closer to Russia than the United States.
The captain of The Northwest Explorer, the fishing boat involved in the rescue, praised the boy’s resilience, stating that he had clung to the skiff for nearly three days. The Coast Guard initiated a search for the missing trio after receiving a report from their family, who had set out from St. Lawrence Island on Friday with plans to return early Sunday.
After spotting the boy on Monday morning, a Coast Guard air crew provided supplies and contacted The Northwest Explorer for assistance. Video footage of the rescue shows the boy in a bright yellow jacket on the overturned skiff as he is pulled to safety by the fishing boat’s crew.
Upon boarding the vessel, the boy displayed signs of hypothermia, prompting the crew to provide warmth through blankets and hot packs. According to the captain, the boy mentioned that his brother remained trapped under the skiff, while his cousin had unfortunately passed away before the rescue operation took place.
