A 61-year-old man died and another was injured this Saturday after a whale allegedly collided and capsized the boat they were traveling in during a fishing expedition, police sources reported.
The incident occurred at 6:00 a.m. local time (2:00 GMT) this Saturday, when the Aquatic Police responded to an emergency involving two people who were in the water after their boat suffered an accident in the coastal region of La Perouse, in the suburbs of Sydney, the New South Wales State Police explained 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 of the individuals, 61 years old, 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 a hospital. area 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.