5 People Died After Colliding Into a Whale

In New Zealand, 5 people died after colliding into a whale. The accident happened on Saturday with 11 people on board, including the captain. The small 28-foot-long charter boat was full of bird enthusiasts who did not expect to run into a whale.

According to Kaikōura Mayor Craig Mackle, the water was dead calm when the accident happened. It is assumed that a whale emerged from under the board and overturned it. He also mentioned that sperm and humpback whales were present in the water. One of them could be the reason that five people died in the cold water. The mayor also said he thought about an accident like this but had never heard of any previous ones. Since the police are still notifying the families of those who died, none of the victims’ names have been released.

Vanessa Chapman and a group of friends watched the rescue efforts from Goose Bay, near Kaikōura. She witnessed three choppers circling the vessel as two divers jumped in to rescue those in the water. One rescued person was sitting on top of the vessel, while another was rescued from the water.

Two compliance agency Maritime New Zealand investigators will be doing a full investigation to conclude what happened. Out of the six survivors that were rescued, five of them were sent to a local health center with minor injuries. One of the victims was sent to a hospital in Christchurch, as a precaution.