A group of killer whales attacked and sank a yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar, between Spain and Morocco, as confirmed by officials to ABC News.
The incident occurred on a Sunday at 9 a.m. local time, with two individuals on board the vessel, according to Spain's maritime authority.
The yacht, named The Alboran Cognac, was approximately 15 miles from Cabo Espartel in Morocco when an unknown number of orcas began ramming it. The couple on board alerted Spanish authorities, and a rescue team arrived an hour later to extricate them from the sinking boat. However, officials were unable to salvage the vessel.
According to GT Orca Atlantica, a conservation group, there have been around 700 orca attacks since 2020. Officials estimate that there are more than 37 orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar, which connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, separating Europe from Africa.
Spanish government officials stated, "During the summer and autumn of 2020, interaction events began to occur between several specimens of this species and vessels, mainly sailboats, both in the Strait of Gibraltar and in the waters of the Galician coast. These interactions have ranged from persistent approaches to ships, to ramming the hull and rudder, causing various types of damage, which continue today."
The reason behind orcas attacking boats remains unclear, though experts hypothesize that the marine mammals could be targeting vessels for sport or due to feeling threatened.
A study in Biological Conservation, a peer-reviewed journal, has highlighted the "sophisticated learning abilities" found in orcas.
In June 2023, racing yachts in the Strait of Gibraltar had a close encounter with a pod of orcas, according to race officials. Crew members aboard a rival pair of 65-foot yachts were on the final leg of The Ocean Race, a global sailing competition, when they reported being intercepted by killer whales as their boats approached the Strait of Gibraltar. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported in the incident.