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Orcas ram sailboat off northwestern Spain, vessel hauled to coast

Orcas rammed a sailboat off the coast of northwestern Spain and damaged the vessel's rudder, triggering the maritime rescue service to tow the boat ashore, the service said on Monday.

The event was the latest in a series of boat rammings by whale pods off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. Researchers have yet to reach a consensus on the factors for this recent behaviour.

One of the sailboat's two team members seriously injured her hand during the hauling manoeuvre in the middle of rough sea conditions and was evacuated by helicopter to health center, the service stated.

The boat, called Amidala, informed the maritime rescue centre on the rock-bound Cape Finisterre peninsula on the coast of Galicia quickly before 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Sunday. The crew - a. man and a woman, both Belgian nationals - reported damage to the. ship's rudder after it was rammed by an unidentified variety of orcas.

Unfavorable weather, with winds of up to 35 knots (65 km/h) and. waves up to 3 metres (9.8 feet) high, obstructed the towing. operation, the service stated, which took more than five hours. up until reaching port.

In May, orcas sank a cruising private yacht after ramming it on the. Moroccan side of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Although known as killer whales, endangered whales are part. of the dolphin household. They can determine up to 8 metres and. weigh approximately 6 loads as adults.

(source: Reuters)