Sailors hurt as whale drops in

Three men were injured on Monday when a whale leaped out of the water and landed on their inflatable boat off South Africa’s south coast, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.

The weight of the creature, believed to be a humpback whale, pushed the craft underwater but the boat resurfaced and one of the men was able to raise the alarm with a mobile phone.

“The boat was found about one nautical mile offshore with all three men clinging on to the hull,” said Ian Gray, NSRI Port Elizabeth station commander.

One man was in a stable but serious condition in hospital; the others had minor injuries.