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Whale suspected after five people die in waters off New Zealand

Hervey Bay is known for its whale watching. <i>Photo: Getty</i>

Hervey Bay is known for its whale watching. Photo: Getty

Five people have died after a small charter boat capsized in what may have been a collision with a whale off New Zealand’s south island.

Another six people on board the boat were rescued.

Police said the 8.5 metre boat overturned near the South Island town of Kaikōura on Saturday.

They are continuing to investigate the cause of the accident, but the prevailing theory is that the vessel was overturned by a surfacing whale.

Kaikōura Police Sergeant Matt Boyce described it as a devastating and “unprecedented” event.

The eleven people on board were reportedly mostly from a birdwatching group.

“Our thoughts are with everyone involved, including the victims and their families, their local communities, and emergency services personnel,” Sgt Boyce said.

He said police divers had recovered the bodies of all those who had died.

All six survivors were assessed to be in stable condition at a local health centre, with one transferred to a hospital in Christchurch as a precaution.

Kaikōura Mayor Craig Mackle said the water was dead calm at the time of the accident and the assumption was that a whale hit the boat from underneath.

Sperm whales and humpbacks

Sperm whales are known to be in the area off NZ’s south island. Photo: Getty

Mayor Mackle said there were some sperm whales in the area and also some humpbacks travelling through.

He said locals had helped with the rescue efforts throughout the day but the mood in the town was “sombre” because the water was so cold and they feared for the outcome of anybody who had fallen overboard.

Mayor Mackle said he’d thought in the past about the possibility of a boat and whale colliding, given the number of whales that frequent the region.

“It always plays on your mind that it could happen,” he said, adding that he hadn’t heard about any previous such accidents.

He said the boat was a charter vessel operating out of Kaikōura, a popular whale-watching destination.

Compliance agency Maritime New Zealand said it sent two investigators to the scene and would be conducting a thorough investigation once recovery operations had concluded.

Principal Investigator Tracy Phillips said the agency “offers its heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the people who have died”.

-AAP

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