A crew of Norwegian sailors have recounted how they survived their terrifying encounter with killer whales - before the same pod of orcas sank a tourist vessel nearby.
The Norwegian Najad 570 'Nova Vida' set out on a day trip on Saturday to sail from Cascais, off the coast of Lisbon, to Sines when they were attacked by orcas.
Chilling video from their cockpit shared with the Daily Mail showed the boat's steering wheels spinning as killer whales rammed the hull repeatedly just after 12pm on September 13.
The crew could be seen struggling to stand and panic breaking out as the yacht was pummelled again and again. Elise Wurschmidt, one of four on board at the time, told the Mail the orcas pushed against the autopilot until it 'completely' broke into two.
They slammed the boat into reverse when the orcas suddenly attacked the helm. Having sustained heavy hits to the rudder, 'we quickly lost control', one of the crewmembers Lisa Festervoll told Seilmagasinet.
