Terrifying moment killer whales sink tourist boat off Portuguese coast
A pod of killer whales capsized a tourist yacht off the coast of Portugal which had five passengers on board.
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Video footage shows the orcas ramming the boat until it sinks.
All five crew members of the stricken yacht were rescued before it went down.
A second boat with four people on board also required assistance after encountering the same pod of whales.
Some experts think the orcas’ behaviour is motivated by boredom. Attacks on boats have become more frequent in recent years.
The Portuguese national maritime authority received a distress call for the first boat at 12.30pm Saturday before dispatching rescue teams.
One witness said a whale struck the rudder repeatedly, causing a crack which made the boat sink. Others reported seeing as many as four whales targeting the boat, off the fonte da Telha beach.
Sailors navigating along the Iberian coast revealed that orca attacks happen every year “in the exact same stretch”.
One posted online: “We were terrorised every day for four weeks last year while transiting down for the Arc… Lots of damaged boats… even an airlift to hospital for one poor lady... A very real problem.”