Killer whales tear half a yacht’s rudder off in terrifying eight-minute attack off Spain
The crew could do little more than watch from the railings and check for leaks as a pod of killer […]
A pod of killer whales brutally attacked two yachts off the coast of Spain, ripping half of a rudder off one vessel and leaving another drifting in the sea for eight grueling minutes. The terrifying ordeal unfolded off the northwestern tip of Spain in Galicia, where a 13-meter yacht named Seika was returning from a regatta when the orcas began their assault at around 7pm on August 29.
The crew aboard Seika was left powerless to stop the relentless attacks, which continued for a full eight minutes. Despite the chaos, no one was injured, and the yacht managed to make it back to shore safely. Unfortunately, the same thing happened just 24 hours later to another yacht with two people on board in the Ría de Vigo. The orcas continued their destructive rampage, striking yachts in multiple locations, including the northernmost point of mainland Spain, the northern coast of Portugal, and the Spanish island of Cabo Ortegal.
These encounters have left a trail of damaged yachts and frightened sailors, with over 700 incidents reported off Spain and Portugal since 2020. Experts believe the attacks are likely caused by a critically endangered population of killer whales following bluefin tuna up the Atlantic coast every summer. While there have been no injuries, Spain's environment ministry is investigating a Spanish-flagged boat allegedly firing at one of the orcas in Portuguese waters.
Spain's maritime rescue service has issued warnings and a risk map for the Galician coast, advising sailors to take extra precautions from April to October.
Written by urgent.news from Euro Weekly News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
