Teen rescued in the US Bering Sea after boat capsizes
In the United States, near St. Lawrence Island in Alaska’s Bering Sea, rescuers evacuated a teenager who had spent several days on an overturned fishing boat. His older brother and cousin died.
As The Guardian reports, three people set out from the island on Friday in an 18-foot fishing boat. They were due to return early on Sunday but did not arrive. The Coast Guard began a search on Sunday evening, and on Monday afternoon an aircraft crew spotted the sole survivor on the hull of the overturned boat.
Evacuation of the survivor
The crew dropped a life raft and survival equipment to the teenager. His evacuation was coordinated with the Northwest Explorer vessel, which was nearby. The boy had symptoms of hypothermia after being in icy water.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Video of the operation shows the teenager kneeling on the overturned boat as it rocks in the water. Rescuers pulled him toward their vessel and helped him climb aboard.
Account from the survivor’s brother
The survivor’s brother, Darren Tooley-Nungwook, who identified him as Parker, told NBC News that he was relaying his brother’s account. According to him, the boat’s engine became entangled in fishing line that the group was unable to untangle. The boat later capsized due to bad weather, and only Parker and his cousin were able to climb onto its hull.
According to Tooley-Nungwook, Parker’s cousin later panicked, jumped into the water and drowned after swimming only a few feet. Parker remained alone on the boat and prayed until he was rescued. The Coast Guard said the bodies of the two deceased men had been found.
