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COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Eight Danish sailors who encountered a harrowing ordeal when their sailboat capsized in the Pacific Ocean after colliding with one or two whales have been rescued, according to a statement by the Danish Armed Forces.

Following the capsizing of their sailboat, the crew sought refuge on a raft and promptly reached out for assistance using a satellite phone. Their distress call triggered a search and rescue operation coordinated by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Initially, it was a female crew member who contacted her father in Denmark, who in turn alerted the Danish rescue authorities before the case was handed over to JRCC Honolulu.

Fortunately, the sailors were located by a fishing vessel, which subsequently assisted in their transfer to a container ship en route to Tahiti, as confirmed by the Danish Armed Forces.

Information provided by the crew indicated that the collision occurred between the 51-foot long sailboat and one or two whales, as reported by the military.