Five people have died and another six were rescued in New Zealand when a boat capsized after what may have been a collision with a whale.
The 8.5m-long boat overturned near the coastal town of Kaikoura in New Zealand’s South Island on Saturday.
Identified as a charter vessel typically used for fishing, those onboard belonged to a bird enthusiasts’ group, reported news website Stuff.
“This is a tragic event that affects many lives, not least of all families and loved ones,” said Kaikoura mayor Craig Mackle . “We’ve shut the harbour down so that they can carry on working,” he added.
Calling it a devastating and unprecedented event, Kaikoura police sergeant Matt Boyce also offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
“Our thoughts are with everyone involved, including the victims and their families, their local communities, and emergency services personnel,” he said, adding that the bodies of those killed in the incident have been recovered.
Officials are working to identify the victims. The six survivors have been moved to the Kaikoura health centre and one was transferred to Christchurch hospital.
Though the exact circumstance leading to the capsize is still under investigation, Mr Mackle said the water was calm at the time of the incident with the assumption that the whale surfaced beneath the boat, causing it to overturn.
He told the Associated Press there were sperm whales and humpback whales in the area.
The mayor said though the possibility of a boat and whale colliding “always plays on your mind”, given the number of whales frequenting the region, he said he had not heard of any such previous accidents.
Kaikōura Coastguard acting president Neroli Gold told Stuff that the boat had been uprighted and was being taken back to harbour.
“When lives are lost, it’s a real deep sadness for everybody involved, so our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the deceased.”
Describing the rescue operation, one of the witnesses Vanessa Chapman told Stuff she had been watching the scene unfold since 11am, when they saw a man sitting atop an upturned boat and waving their arms.
That person was rescued along with another person who was pulled out of the water, she said.
Two rescue helicopters and a local chopper were circling before “two divers jumped out,” said Ms Chapman.
“Then another local boat has pulled in, and we believe someone was put on that boat, and then he shot straight into town and the helicopters have just been searching. They still are.”
