Killer whales attack and sink yacht

A family of five, including three young children, have been lucky to survive after killer whales repeatedly attacked and sank their yacht off the coast of Portugal.

The Portuguese Air Force was called in to rescue a family from their sinking yacht after it was repeatedly rammed by a pod of killer whales, according to The Sun.

The three children, aged 8, 10 and 12, were on the 11-metre French-flagged yacht. Their parents managed to send a distress signal and board life rafts before the vessel, which is believed to have suffered a punctured hull, began to sink.

The rescue was confirmed by the Portuguese Air Force yesterday, October 13, after it released footage of the moment the survivors were taken off the fishing boat in mid-September.

The yacht is being attacked by a killer whale on the left side.

PHOTO: CMH

"An Air Force EH-101 Merlin helicopter was dispatched to rescue five people from a yacht sailing more than 50 kilometers from Peniche," an air force spokesman said. The family was hospitalized and assisted by French consular officials to return home.

The incident comes less than a month after a pod of killer whales sank a yacht off the coast of Portugal in another dangerous attack. The sailboat carrying five people sank after the pod of killer whales repeatedly rammed into the hull near Fonte da Telha beach.

The footage shows a killer whale repeatedly ramming the sailboat, which belongs to the Nautic Squad Club. After several collisions, the boat tilts dangerously from side to side before slowly sinking. Five people on board the Nautic Squad boat were rescued while nearby vessels tried unsuccessfully to tow it to safety.

Cruise ship sunk by killer whale off the coast of Portugal in September

In July, a pod of killer whales nearly capsized a yacht, leaving the crew fearing for their lives. The terrifying encounter took place 2 miles north of the Spanish town of Deba.

The killer whales off the Iberian coast typically average between 5 and 6.5 metres in length. They are significantly smaller than the Antarctic killer whales, which can grow to over 9 metres in length.

Killer whale attacks on ships usually occur from May to August, but many researchers do not believe that they are inherently aggressive, but rather that they are simply bored.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-ca-voi-sat-thu-tan-cong-chim-du-thuyen-185251014084452022.htm