During the night of Friday, October 10, the Portuguese Air Force (FAP) rescued a family of five—comprising a couple and their three children—after their vessel was attacked by orcas off the coast of Peniche.
The FAP stated in a communiqué on Saturday that the “EH-101 Merlin helicopter was deployed to rescue five individuals aboard a vessel more than 50 km from Peniche,” after the “sailboat, with a couple and three children, was attacked by a group of orcas, causing damage that led to water ingress.”
“Following the incident,” the statement continued, “the five individuals abandoned the vessel using a lifeboat and were later picked up by a nearby fishing ship.”
To support the rescue mission, the Air Force dispatched the EH-101 Merlin helicopter of Squadron 751 – ‘Pumas’, which took off from Air Base No. 6 (BA6) in Montijo at 20:45. “After successfully completing the rescue, the Air Force helicopter returned to BA6 near 23:00,” it was further noted.
Onboard were two adults and three children. One woman was of Portuguese nationality, while the others were French citizens. A nearby fishing vessel aided in bringing the five aboard.
The rescue mission was initiated by the Lisbon Search and Rescue Coordination Center of the Air Force, following a request from the coordinating authority, the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center of the Portuguese Navy.
The Portuguese Air Force also released a video of this rescue, which can be viewed below:
Catch the images of the rescue of five people conducted by the Air Force via the EH-101 Merlin helicopter.
Learn more about the rescue at:https://t.co/tBzKX2USUZ pic.twitter.com/KKLTxqK969
— Força Aérea Portuguesa (@fap_pt) October 11, 2025
