A 15-year-old boy has been rescued after surviving for more than 62 hours on the overturned hull of a fishing boat in the Bering Sea, where his older brother and cousin died. The group had set out from Savoonga, Alaska, on Friday for a halibut fishing trip in an 18-foot skiff.
The boat was expected back early Sunday, but never returned. Family members told KTUU-TV that a fishing line became entangled in the skiff's motor, causing it to flip. According to their account, the teen's 35-year-old brother, Sidney Kulowiyi, became trapped by the line and was pulled beneath the boat.
The 15-year-old and his 34-year-old cousin, Barton Rookok, managed to climb onto the overturned hull. During the second night, Rookok became distressed, entered the water, and drowned, leaving the teen alone.
Rescuers from the vessel Northwest Explorer found the boy on Monday morning, approximately four miles east of St. Lawrence Island. The captain of the Northwest Explorer, Adam White, reported that the teen, despite suffering from hypothermia, was able to convey that his brother was still beneath the skiff and his cousin had slipped off the previous night.
The U.S. Coast Guard spotted the teen around 10:30 a.m. local time Monday and directed a nearby fishing vessel to the scene. The Coast Guard had dropped a life raft and survival equipment to the boy before departing to refuel, using flares to guide the Northwest Explorer to the skiff's location.
The family stated the boat capsized Friday evening, meaning the boy was on the hull for over 62 hours. The Coast Guard has not officially confirmed the time of the capsize or the exact cause. Water temperatures in the Bering Sea were estimated by rescuers to be between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The rescued teen reportedly survived without food or water, spending nights kneeling and praying on the exposed hull.