Two men injured after whale strikes boat off coast of West Australia

Two men are in hospital after their boat was struck by a whale off the coast of West Australia. Emergency crews were called following reports a boat had been struck by a whale 15-18km off the coast of Kalbarri shortly before 7pm on Tuesday. The Water Police Co-ordination Centre in North Fremantle deployed DFES Marine Rescue Kalbarri to the scene, who escorted the vessel back to shore. The two men – aged 69 and 39 – who were on board had been injured during the incident. They were both treated by St John WA and taken to Kalbarri Hospital. The 69-year-old man is believed to have received serious injuries, which might require him to be flown to Royal Perth Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service for further treatment. A Department of Transport spokesman said officers were aware of the incident and will make enquiries with the people involved.