U.S. Coast Guard crews rescued a 15-year-old boy who had been stranded for nearly three days on an overturned fishing boat in the frigid waters of the Bering Sea. The rescue occurred near St. Lawrence Island, an Alaska island approximately 100 miles west of mainland Alaska and about 40 miles from Russia's Chukchi Peninsula.
The fishing vessel, which had departed Savoonga for St. Lawrence Island, was last seen Friday and missed its scheduled return early Sunday morning. Search efforts were launched, involving multiple aircraft and helicopters from the Coast Guard, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, the Alaska Air National Guard, Alaska State Troopers, and local authorities.
A Coast Guard pilot spotted the teen alive atop the overturned boat about four miles east of St. Lawrence Island. The pilot described the moment as fortunate, stating he happened to be looking out the window at the right angle of the sun when he noticed the boy.
The rescued teenager was experiencing symptoms of hypothermia. The fishing vessel Northwest Explorer assisted in the recovery, with Coast Guard aircrews dropping a life raft to aid in coordinating the boy's retrieval. Video footage from the rescue shows the boy in a bright yellow jacket kneeling on the boat's hull. Crew members from the Northwest Explorer threw him a line and pulled the skiff closer until they could lift him into a rescue basket.
Tragically, the boy was the sole survivor. The other two individuals aboard the vessel, his 16-year-old brother and their 39-year-old cousin, perished in the incident. The bodies of the deceased were recovered.
Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard Arctic District, acknowledged the loss of the two mariners as tragic and expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts of all involved agencies and partners that led to saving the boy's life.
The family of the boy described listening to the radio transmission of the rescue, expressing immense relief and joy upon hearing he was found alive, followed by concern for the other passengers.