Orcas Sink Tourist Yacht Off Portugal's Coast

A tourist yacht sank after being rammed by a pod of orcas off the coast of Portugal. The boat, carrying five people, was submerged near Fonte da Telha beach following the attack on Saturday.

Footage shared by the sailing company Mercedes-Benz Oceanic Lounge shows an orca repeatedly striking the side of the yacht before it sways and starts to sink, with a witness heard saying, "Oh my God." All five crew members were rescued from the Nautic Squad club vessel by boats shortly before it sank.

A second encounter with the pod was recorded later the same day off the Bay of Cascais, with four people removed from their boat without injuries.

Portugal's National Maritime Authority said that it received an alert at 12.30pm "due to an interaction with orcas." It added: "Crews from the lifeguard station of Cascais and the Captaincy of the Port of Lisbon were immediately activated. Upon arrival at the site, it was found that the crew were physically well, without the need of medical assistance, having been removed with the help of a sea-tourist boat nearby."

Some witnesses said they saw four orcas, although a skipper reported that just one of the whales had struck the rudder, according to The Telegraph.

Since May 2020, researchers have documented hundreds of incidents of orcas ramming into boats near the Iberian peninsula, sparking several theories and research into the rise in this behavioral trend.

The incident follows a new warning after two boats were attacked by a pair of killer whales off the coast of Spain earlier this month. A Spanish maritime rescue ship was called after the boats were rammed by orcas just minutes apart in the waters of Galicia. Rescuers towed an orca-damaged ship back into the harbor before they were alerted to another attack.

A crew member said: "The truth is that we were very scared; we were actually really 'scared' when we realised that the killer whales were hitting the boat."