One dead, one injured as whale collides with ship in Australia
Sydney, Australia, Sep 30 (EFE).- A 61-year-old man died and another was injured Saturday after a whale allegedly crashed and capsized the boat in which they were traveling during a fishing expedition, police sources reported.
The incident occurred at 6am local time (2am GMT) Saturday, when police responded to an emergency involving two people in the water after their boat suffered an accident in the coastal region of La Perouse, in the Sydney suburbs, New South Wales State Police said in a statement.
Authorities believe the boat, about 4.8 meters long, capsized because it “collided or was struck by a whale,” which “caused the boat to tilt and catapult both men” into the sea.
When they arrived at the scene, the agents saw two unconscious men floating in the water and rescued them.
One man was declared dead after “attempts to resuscitate him failed,” while the second victim, a 53-year-old man, was rescued alive and treated by paramedics who took him to hospital in “stable condition.”
“Detectives have begun an investigation into the incident,” the statement said.
The extensive Australian coast is home to nearly 30 species of whales and, although human deaths caused by these giant cetaceans are rare, strandings of these animals are common both on the beaches of Australia and those of neighboring New Zealand. EFE
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