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A humpback whale jumps out of the water (symbolic image)
Photo: Design Pics / IMAGO
After his boat collided with a whale, a man was killed off the coast of Australia, another was injured. The two men were apparently thrown out of their boat when it was hit by a whale around six o'clock on Saturday morning in the waters off the town of La Perouse, about 14 kilometers southeast of Sydney.
It is suspected that the whale fell after jumping out of the water right next to or possibly onto the boat, said Siobhan Munro of the water police.
According to police, the authorities were notified by the passengers of a second boat, who saw the almost five-meter-long motorboat floating around unmanned in a circle. According to the authorities, the 53-year-old skipper was pulled out of the water nearby and taken to a hospital. The other man, a 61-year-old, was recovered unconscious and died on the spot. According to police, the men had gone out together to fish. Munro spoke of a "tragic accident".
»Many incidents in which whales jump out of the water next to boats«
Humpback whales and southern right whales (southern right whales) roam the coasts of New South Wales every year. They migrate north to warmer waters during Australia's winter months and return between September and November. "There are a lot of whales out there right now, and there are a lot of incidents of whales jumping out of the water next to boats," Munro said.
If you see a whale in the water, you have to keep at least a hundred meters away from it. If there is a calf, the prescribed distance increases to 300 meters. The police will carry out more checks on the water, the spokeswoman announced.
A year ago, five people were killed in a boat accident off the South Island of New Zealand. Their charter ship had probably also collided with a whale.
lmd/AFP