Man dies in Australia after whale strikes boat

Australia's coastline hosts 10 large and 20 smaller species of whales (file photo)

A whale has struck a boat in Australia, killing one man and leaving another injured, police say.

The men were on a fishing expedition when their boat was hit in waters off La Perouse, 14 km (nine miles) south-east of Sydney.

The alarm was raised after the vessel was spotted unoccupied and circling.

Deaths caused by whales in the region are rare, and a state minister for New South Wales called it "an absolute freak accident".

Police said in a statement the likely collision had caused the boat to tilt, throwing both men overboard.

"Early reports are that a whale may have breached near the boat, or on to the boat," Water Police Acting Superintendent Siobhan Munro said, adding that she had not seen a similar incident before.

The victim, 61, was found unconscious and died at the scene, officials said.

The 53-year-old skipper was pulled from the water and taken to hospital, where he is in a stable condition.

Australia's coastline hosts 10 large and 20 smaller species of whales. It is not yet clear which species was involved in Saturday's collision.