Danish sailors rescued in Pacific after whale collision
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Danish sailors took refuge on a raft after its sailboat collided with whales.
PHOTO: AFP
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COPENHAGEN - Eight Danes whose sailboat capsized in the Pacific Ocean following a collision with one or two whales were rescued overnight, the Danish Armed Forces said in a statement on Thursday.
After abandoning the sailboat, the crew took refuge on a raft and called for help via a satellite phone, prompting a search and rescue mission by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The initial satellite call was made by a female crew member to her father in Denmark, who contacted Danish rescue authorities before the case was transferred to JRCC Honolulu.
They were later found by a fishing vessel and eventually transferred to a container ship which is now headed for Tahiti, the Danish Armed Forces said.
Information from the crew indicated that the 15.5m-long sailboat had collided with one or two whales, the military said. REUTERS
