A 13-year-old boy survived a boating accident that killed his father and several other family members by taking refuge inside a cooler.
Juladi “Jude” Khammoungkhoune was crabbing with his relatives near Bodega Bay , off the central California coast, on the evening of November 2, when their boat capsized and they were thrown into the water.
The youngster, who was wearing a life jacket, was ordered to crawl inside a cooler by his father, Prasong.
The man hung on to the box but later let go so that his son could get to safety more quickly, the teenager has revealed.
“It was pretty terrifying to see my dad go too soon,” Jude told KGO, adding: “I was crying and yelling out for my dad, so I could hear him say something again.”
Arriving on shore in the pitch darkness, Khammoungkhoune slept on the beach where he was found by first responders the following morning and taken to hospital.
“I prayed to Jesus Christ and all of my family members that I can make it out alive and get to see my family and everybody that I know,” Khammoungkhoune told KGO.