Teenage Fisherman Rescued After Days Adrift on Capsized Skiff in Bering Sea; Two Relatives Perish
A 15-year-old fisherman was rescued after surviving for days on the upturned hull of a capsized skiff in the frigid waters of the Bering Sea. The skiff, carrying three relatives, departed the Alaska Native village of Savoonga for a halibut fishing trip and was reported missing after failing to return on Sunday. Despite initial weather delays, a large-scale search operation was launched by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Air Force. A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules search aircraft located the upturned skiff approximately four miles east of St. Lawrence Island. The aircraft dropped a life raft and survival gear before guiding the Good Samaritan vessel, the 160-foot fishing/survey vessel Northwest Explorer, to the scene. Upon arrival, the crew of the Northwest Explorer found the teenage boy alive on the hull. His brother's remains were found underneath the skiff, and his cousin, who initially survived the capsizing, had slipped off the hull and perished before rescuers arrived. Both bodies were retrieved.
