Survivors speak of shock after whale capsizes fishing boat off New Hampshire coast

Two men ended up overboard after a humpback whale capsized their boat, ITV News' Ian Woods reports.

Two people have been rescued after a whale capsized their fishing boat off the east coast of the US.

The incident took place on Tuesday, near the Odiorne Point State Park in New Hampshire.

Ryland Kennedy, who was fishing from the vessel with his friend Greg Paquette, said the pair had spotted the whale earlier and tried to avoid it - but ended up overboard.

"I was probably about three feet from the whale's head," Mr Kennedy said.

"So I saw it and I was looking at it like, is this really happening?"

The US Coast Guard said it received a mayday call describing a boat being turned over because of a whale breach.

The service posted on X: "The occupants were ejected from the vessel as the boat capsized.

"A good Samaritan recovered both individuals from the water. No injuries were reported".

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Mr Paquette continued: "I turned around, and the whale's head was already landing on the engine.

"The thing I think was most impressive was the weight and the power of the whale driving the boat down into the water."

The boat crew from Station Portsmouth reported that the whale did not appear to be injured.

The incident was flagged to the Center of Coastal Studies Marine Animal Hotline and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The badly damaged vessel was towed back to shore by the coast guard.

"I'm grateful for how it played out after the whale hit the boat. A lot of things could have gone wrong and it could have been much, much worse," Mr Paquette said.

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