Rampaging killer whales cripple another yacht as orcas terrorise Spanish coast with 5 attacks in just 48 hours

A POD of killer whales has terrorised yet another vessel off the coast of Spain in their latest attack. Two people aboard the 45ft Swedish-flagged yacht called Vai were forced to send a Mayday after their rudder was smashed. The rescued sailing boat attacked by the killer whales Credit: Solarpix Another boat was sank in the same area Credit: Solarpix An alarm was raised at 1.15pm on Friday as the orcas rammed into them 13 miles to the northwest of Punta Candelaria, a lighthouse near the fishing town of Celeiro. A Spanish Coastguard vessel raced to their rescue and towed the yacht to the town of Viveiro. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! “The vessel Mar de Galicia is towing a 14-metre yacht flying the Swedish flag towards Celeiro with two people on board due to a rudder failure after an interaction with orcas northwest of Punta Candelaria,” they said. Rescuers were involved in four attacks involving killer whales on Thursday. In the most dramatic incident, two people on board a pleasure craft called Idem had to be rescued after their rudder was destroyed and they started to sink. The ramming happened at 5pm on Thursday over a mile off Estaca de Bares, the northernmost cape of the Iberian Peninsula, which is also part of the province of La Coruna. Local mayor Alfredo Dovale said a private boat aided the sailors and tried to tow their yacht to shore before it started disappearing under the sea. In the other three interactions with orcas the same day in the same area, the rudders of three yachts were also targeted. Most read in The Sun A rescued sailing yacht Credit: Solarpix An orca approaching a British sailboat off the coast of Morocco last year Credit: SWNS But the damage done did not prevent them from reaching shore in two of the cases although in the other one the yacht was also crippled. Spanish coastguards said about the attacks: “A yacht has sunk 1.3 miles from Estaca de Bares as a result of taking on water after an interaction with orcas. “Its two crew members were picked up by a nearby motorboat and are safe. “Later, the rescue vessel Shaula, dispatched by CCS Finisterre, transported them to Carino. The Helimer 401 helicopter is flying over the area to check for any signs of pollution.” A second message confirmed the fourth orca interaction that occurred in the area. “While assisting the yacht Idem, it emerged another sailing vessel had also experienced an interaction with these marine mammals, but the damage to its rudder was minimal and it continued sailing to Viveiro,” they said. Last October, the Portuguese Air Force had to rescue a family of five including three children after they cheated death when their yacht was attacked by an orca. A military helicopter was mobilised to winch the survivors off a fishing vessel that had come to their rescue after their boat was rammed by a pod of mammals and started taking on water. They were taken by chopper to hospital although they were not injured in the drama, which occurred late on October 10, 55 miles south-east of Peniche, a 75-minute drive north of Lisbon. Three children aged eight, ten and 12 were on board the French-flagged 36ft-long yacht, named locally as Ti’fare, with their mum and dad when it was attacked. Their parents managed to send an SOS and get into a life raft before the vessel started sinking. A Peniche-based fishing boat called Silmar responded to the alert as the military were mobilised. Comment now