Five people died in a boat accident off New Zealand's South Island. Kaikoura Mayor Craig Mackle said the boat may have collided with a whale. The marine mammals are native to the area, and the sea was completely calm at the time of the accident, the newspaper "New Zealand Herald" quoted him as saying.

The police did not want to confirm this information, but emphasized that the boat must have collided with something. She first wanted to interview witnesses. Six occupants survived the accident.

The group is said to have been on a birding excursion and traveled from all parts of New Zealand to bird watch. The forces spoke of an "unprecedented" tragedy. The charter boat capsized in the morning. Police divers later found the bodies still in the overturned boat.