‼️ HE WAS ONLY 15—AND HE CLUNG TO AN OVERTURNED BOAT FOR 62 HOURS IN THE FREEZING BERING SEA. 💔

What began as a fishing trip near a remote Alaska village became a desperate fight for survival for 15-year-old Derek Parker Aghnaanga.

Derek had left Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island with his older brother, 35-year-old Sidney Kulowiyi, and their 34-year-old cousin, Barton Rookok. They were heading out for a halibut fishing trip aboard an 18-foot skiff.

Then something went terribly wrong.

According to a family spokesman, a fishing line became tangled in the boat’s motor, causing the skiff to overturn.

Sidney became entangled in the line and was pulled beneath the overturned boat.

Derek and Barton managed to climb onto the exposed hull.

For a while, Derek was not alone.

But during the following night, Barton reportedly became distressed and entered the water. He drowned, leaving Derek alone on the overturned skiff in the middle of the Bering Sea.

The teenager had no food, no drinking water and no way to know when—or if—help would arrive.

The water was reportedly around 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

The men had been expected back around 3 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 6. When they failed to return, authorities launched a search. Poor weather and dense fog made the operation even more difficult.

Then, on Monday morning, rescuers finally saw something.

A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew spotted the overturned skiff about four miles from St. Lawrence Island.

And there was someone on top of it.

Derek was still alive.

Lt. Cmdr. Jonathon Resch, who spotted the teenager, described the discovery as extraordinary, noting how difficult it is for someone to survive multiple nights after a boat capsizes in such cold conditions.

The Coast Guard dropped survival equipment and a life raft and directed the nearby fishing vessel Northwest Explorer toward Derek.

Video captured the emotional rescue.

Derek could be seen kneeling on the overturned hull before the crew pulled him aboard.

Captain Adam White said the teenager was suffering from hypothermia and his teeth were chattering. Yet Derek was conscious enough to tell rescuers what had happened.

He told them his brother was still beneath the overturned skiff and that his cousin had gone into the water the previous night.

The crew wrapped Derek in blankets, worked to warm him and kept him talking as they transported him toward Nome.

The bodies of Sidney and Barton were also recovered.

Derek had survived an estimated 62 hours at sea.

For more than two days, he had endured bitter cold, hunger, dehydration, darkness and unimaginable fear while knowing that two members of his own family were gone.

His survival stunned even experienced rescuers.

But his return home could never be the joyful reunion his family had hoped for.

A 15-year-old boy was coming back alive—while his loved ones were preparing to mourn two men who never made it home.

💔 Derek survived something few could imagine. But behind the incredible story of survival is a family facing an unbearable loss.

🕊️ Please remember Derek, Sidney and Barton—and keep everyone who loved them in your thoughts and prayers. ❤️🙏