Survivors cling to the inverted wreckage of a boat that sank off the coast of Kaikoura, New Zealand, in this picture obtained from video.
According to the mayor of Kaikoura, there were 11 passengers aboard, six of whom were saved.
According to local sources, five persons were killed when a tiny charter boat collided with a whale and sank in New Zealand.
The collision happened early Saturday morning near the South Island town of Kaikoura.
According to local sources, a huge search and rescue effort including helicopters, coast guard volunteers, and divers continued into the afternoon at Goose Bay.
Craig Mackle, Mayor of Kaikoura, verified to the Associated Press that 11 persons were on board. Six of them were found and saved.
According to local sources, the remains of those who went missing were later discovered in the boat’s cabin.
“This has been a terrible accident, and the police are supporting individuals affected at this really difficult time,” Kaikoura Police Sergeant Matt Boyce told reporters at the site.
Account of a Witness
According to the news website Stuff, Vanessa Chapman and her pals were there as the rescue operations were ongoing.
Chapman said that they originally saw a person sitting atop an overturned boat waving their arms from their vantage point.
According to her, the person aboard the boat was saved, and another person seems to have been rescued from the sea.
An encounter with a whale?
According to the mayor, the water was calm, and the assumption was that a whale rose from underneath the boat, overturning it.
Kaikoura is a famous whale-watching spot, especially sperm whales often seen. Some humpback whales pass past as well.
According to the mayor, it is unclear what sort of whale collided with the boat.
Mackle said that he has not heard of any previous whale incidents, despite the fact that that “it constantly weighs on your mind that it could happen.”
