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Whale kills would-be rescuer in Japan

A Japanese fisherman drowned Tuesday after a whale he was trying to rescue capsized his small fishing boat, a coast guard official said.
/ Source: Reuters

A Japanese fisherman drowned Tuesday after a whale he was trying to rescue capsized his small fishing boat, a coast guard official said.

Three fishermen tried to rescue the sperm whale, about 30 feet long, after it strayed into a bay off the southwestern island of Shikoku, about 500 miles southwest of Tokyo.

But the panicked creature turned on them and struck the vessel, the coast guard official said.

A 58-year-old fisherman drowned while two other fishermen were rescued, he added.