Orcas sunk a sailing yacht near the Strait of Gibraltar, according to Spanish media reports on Monday.
The two crew members of the 15-metre yacht Alborán Cognac initially heard muffled blows against the hull on Sunday morning around 26 kilometres off Cape Spartel in Morocco at the southern entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, Spanish media including newspaper El País reported, citing the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service.
The rudder blade was damaged in the process. When water then entered the boat, the sailors made an emergency call.
A helicopter was sent from Spain and the nearby tanker MT Lascaux was asked to come to the aid of the shipwrecked vessel, the newspaper continued, citing the Ministry of Transport in Madrid.
An hour after the distress call, the crew were safely taken on board by the tanker. However, the yacht could not be salvaged and sank shortly afterwards. It was the seventh such incident since 2020.
Experts studying the behaviour of the intelligent animals assumed that orcas had rammed the yacht. The scientists say the orcas belong to a group of 37 that live between the north of the Iberian Peninsula and the Strait of Gibraltar in the south, El País reported.
It is not known why the orcas have repeatedly targeted boats since 2020. Although there is always talk of "attacks," researchers prefer to speak of "interactions," as the reason for this behaviour of the killer whales, which is only observed in this sea area, is not known.
It is possible that the animals just wanted to play. However, it could also be a reaction to a negative experience with a ship.