Teen boy rescued after days adrift in Alaskan waters

A 15-year-old boy has been rescued after spending days sitting atop a boat that had capsized in the frigid waters of Alaska's Bering Sea.

The boy, identified by family members as Derek Parker Aghnaanga, was the lone survivor from the skiff, having lost his older brother and cousin in the incident.

The trio had departed from St Lawrence Island on Friday 4 September and were due back the following Sunday afternoon, the US Coast Guard said. But when the 18-foot fishing vessel failed to return, they launched a search effort.

A Coast Guard aircrew located the boy sitting on top of the overturned boat on Monday morning, and a nearby good Samaritan vessel pulled him to safety.

That vessel was also able to recover the bodies of his two relatives.

"Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and communities affected by the tragic loss of these two mariners," said Rear Adm. Bob Little, the commander of the Coast Guard's Arctic District.

The boy had signs of hypothermia when he was rescued, the USCG said.

The captain of the fishing boat that pulled Aghnaanga to safety told a local Anchorage news outlet that the teen had clung to the skiff through darkness and water temperatures around 50F (10C).