Coast Guard rescues Alaska teen who clung to overturned Bering Sea boat

Two family members drowned after vessel flipped in bad weather

A teenaged boy was rescued on Monday in the Bering Sea after clinging for days to the overturned hull of an 18-foot fishing vessel, the US Coast Guard said, while his older brother and cousin who had been aboard with him both drowned.

The three had last been seen leaving St Lawrence Island, off Alaska’s western coast, in their small fishing vessel on Friday, the Coast Guard said in a statement. They were expected back early Sunday but did not return, and the Coast Guard began a search Sunday evening.

An aircrew found the sole survivor on top of the overturned vessel on Monday afternoon, according to the Coast Guard. The crew lowered a raft and survival equipment and coordinated with the nearby good Samaritan vessel Northwest Explorer, which recovered the teen from the water. The boy showed symptoms of hypothermia from his time in the icy water, the Coast Guard said.

“Our hearts go out to the families, friends and communities affected by the tragic loss of these two mariners,” Rear Admiral Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard’s Arctic district, said in the statement. “We are grateful for the incredible efforts of the motor vessel Northwest Explorer; federal, state, village first responders; and mission partners who assisted in the effort that resulted in a life saved.”

Darren Toolie-Noongwook, a brother of the survivor — whom he identified as Parker — and of one of the deceased, told NBC News that his family works in commercial fishing and often spends long periods of time on the water. Toolie-Noongwook said his brother told him that the boat’s motor had become entangled in a fishing line and the group could not free it.

The vessel later flipped in bad weather, Toolie-Noongwook said, and only Parker and his cousin managed to climb to the top of the overturned boat. Toolie-Noongwook said his brother told him that the cousin eventually panicked and jumped from the boat, swimming only a few feet before he drowned. Parker was left alone on the hull and spent the time before the rescue praying, his brother said.

“He said he believed he was going to make it. He believed that he was gonna be found and he was gonna be safe, and it happened,” Toolie-Noongwook told NBC News.

The bodies of the two deceased were recovered, according to the Coast Guard. Footage of the rescue, released by the service, showed the teen kneeling on the overturned vessel as it swayed in the water before rescuers pulled him toward their ship and helped him on board.