Killer Whales ‘attack and sink' yacht off the coast of Morocco

Stories of massive marine creatures like Sharks attacking humans in the sea have been depicted in several Hollywood movies. Imagine such stuff happening in real life!

In a frightening incident, a Polish tour company has alleged that killer Whales also known as orcas sank a yacht off the coast of Morocco, reported CBS News. According to the report, the incident happened on Tuesday when the yacht was sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar. The yacht sank near the entrance to the port of Tanger-Med which is nearly 30 miles northeast of Tangier along the Strait of Gibraltar.

Warsaw-based tour agency Morskie Mile which operated the yacht, shared that a pod of orcas approached the yacht and "hit the steering fin for 45 minutes, causing major damage and leakage."

"This yacht was the most wonderful thing in maritime sailing for all of us. Longtime friendships formed on board," shared Morskie.

The crew members escaped unharmed. After the yacht sank, a search-and-rescue team as well as the Moroccan Navy tried to salvage its remains but failed.

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Interestingly, this is not the first time that an incident of this kind has happened. According to research group GTOA, which researches orcas around the Gibraltar region, deliberate attacks by killer whales on vessels off the coast of Spain and Portugal have more than tripled in the last two years.

In an interaction with CBS News, Andrew W. Trites, professor and director of Marine Mammal Research at the University of British Columbia, had weighed in on the matter in May.

"Nobody knows why this is happening. My idea, or what anyone would give you, is informed speculation. It is a total mystery, unprecedented," said Andrew.

In June this year, a sailing team participating in an international race had narrated a horrific encounter with multiple killer whales during their trip through the Atlantic Ocean to the west of Gibraltar.