Canberra: 1 killed, 1 injured after whale hits boat in waters off Australia
Shark-Boat Collision: In a tragic and unfortunate incident, one man killed, another injured after boat struck by a whale capsised in the waters off Sydney in Australia on Saturday morning.
The case pertains to Saturday morning when two people were boating being in the waters off La Perouse, 14 kilometers (nine miles) southeast of Sydney at around 6 am (local time).
The incident took place on the first day of National Safe Boating Week in Australia, which is scheduled to run from September 30 to October 6. One of the main focuses of the initiative by Australia & New Zealand Safe Boating Education Group is lifejackets.
_d996411bfb1c49849699b1dbcbf64e8a_1280X720.webp)
As soon as the horrific collision between whale and boat took place, Water Police acting superintendent reached the spot and one person aged 53-year-old was rescued from a vessel and another 61 year old has been confirmed deceased.
According to the reports, whale may have breached near the boat or onto the boat and the vessel has been recovered and will undergo forensic testing.
Though it has been unclear that whether the two men involved in the mishap wore life jackets or not.
Water Police acting superintendent further said, "will be out there on the waterways, including river dams, conducting compliance checks, drug and alcohol testing, and all the things that we do to make sure that the community is safe."
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has warned about an increased number of whales around waters in Australia this year. It has advised swimmers and boaters to stay 100 meters away from a whale and 300 meters from a whale with a calf.
Also Read: Sikh granthi scripts history, opens US House of Representatives proceedings with 'ardas'
Notably, Australia's coastline is home to 10 large and 20 lesser whale species, though it is unclear which species was involved in the Australia mishap.
- With inputs from agencies
