A 15-year-old boy has been rescued after spending around two days clinging to the upper part of a small overturned boat in the freezing waters of Alaska’s Bering Sea.
The teenager had gone fishing with his older brother and a cousin, both of whom died in the incident.
The boy and his cousin initially managed to hold onto the overturned boat, but the teenager later told one of his rescuers that his cousin slipped and fell into the water.
The bodies of the two victims were recovered after the teenager was brought to safety near St. Lawrence Island, a remote Alaskan island located significantly closer to Russia than to the mainland United States.
The captain of the fishing vessel that rescued the teenager said the boy managed to remain on the overturned boat throughout the night, despite the extremely cold conditions and water temperatures of around 10°C.
“He’s a really tough kid,” captain Adam White said in an interview with local television.
The teenager’s survival after spending roughly two days exposed to the cold waters has been described as remarkable, while authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident.
