Orcas sink another yacht near Strait of Gibraltar after sustained 45-min-long attack

Orcas, which are big sea animals, have attacked a yacht again. This time, they made a Polish yacht sink in the Strait of Gibraltar, a trend widely visible since 2020.

The orca (Orcinus orca), also called killer whale, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member.

The yacht that was targeted by Orcas this time around was Grazie Mamma II, and it belonged to a company from Poland called Morskie Mile. The company gave details about the attack on their Facebook page.

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On October 31, when the yacht was passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, a group of orcas attacked it.

These orcas hit the part of the boat that helps it steer, for 45 minutes, causing a lot of damage and making the yacht start to leak water.

"The crew is safe, unharmed and sound already in Spain," the post stated.

Even though the captain and the crew tried really hard, and search and rescue teams, big boats, and the Navy from Morocco came to help, the yacht still sank near a place called Tanger Med.

The company now wants to make sure that their trips to the Canary Islands will go unaffected, and they will talk to the people who were going on the trip soon.

Scientists are not sure why the orcas keep attacking boats in that area. One idea is that one orca got scared by a boat or a fishing vessel before, and now it's teaching other orcas to act aggressively. But some people think the orcas might just be playing with the boats and not trying to be mean.

Experts are now advising sailors active in the area to demonstrate preparedness in a case of an orca attack. They have also been advised not to sail at night.

(With inputs from agencies)