A group of rampaging killer whales have sunk a boat with five people on board.
The vicious attack happened in Sines, Portugal, but all those on the doomed boat were rescued.
The boat was targetted by a pod of orcas on July 31, with the group of people fleeing via a life raft.
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A nearby fishing boat called Festas Andre was called by the Portuguese Navy and told to find the stranded passengers and rescue them.
Having assisted them in getting onto the boat, the then noticed that the original boat they were one had completely sunk.
A spokesman for the Portuguese Navy said: “The Navy, through the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Lisbon, in conjunction with the Captain of the Port of Sines, coordinated the rescue of five crew members who were on the life raft of their sailboat after it sunk following an interaction with orcas, 11km off the coast.
“The fishing vessel ‘Festas André’ was immediately engaged, which carried out the rescue of the five people on board, and a vessel from the Sines Lifeguard Station that accompanied the fishing vessel to the port of Sines, where it docked safely at 2.43.
“Interaction with these mammals occurs mainly due to the curious behavior of juvenile orcas, which are attracted to the moving and noisy vessel structures, such as the rudder and propeller, can get too close to the vessels and embankments
It is unknown what the original boat was doing out at sea, although whale watching is a popular attraction in the local area.
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This prompted the Portuguese Navy to issue a warning to all those out in the area watching whales after the attack took place.
They said: “"In the event of sighting these mammals, all sailors are advised to turn off the engine, in order to inhibit the rotation of the propeller, and immobilize the rudder door, thus demotivating these mammals to interact with the moving structures of the boats.”
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