One man is dead and another was brought to the hospital after their boat struck a breaching whale off the coast of Sydney, Australia, early Saturday morning. The men were reportedly on a fishing expedition in Botany Bay when the incident occurred around 6 a.m. local time.
Reports indicate that a whale breached either onto or very close to the boat, flipping Stuart Collings, aged 61, and his brother-in-law Darren Curmi, aged 53, into the water. The two were floating in the water for up to 45 minutes before emergency crews arrived, with Curmi holding the unconscious Collings afloat the entire time.
“The runabout vessel was likely to have struck or been impacted by a whale breaching, causing the boat to tilt, ejecting both men” – New South Wales Police
Collings was given CPR immediately after rescue crews arrived, and a helicopter was waiting nearby to bring him to the hospital, but he was ultimately unable to be saved. The unmanned boat continued to drive around in circles until it was eventually towed into the harbor.
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