A man died and another person was hospitalized in Australia on Saturday after a whale struck and capsized their fishing boat, authorities said, according to Reuters.

One man was pulled unconscious from Botany Bay off Sydney’s coast and later died, while another was taken to hospital in a stable condition, police said.

“There was a whale involved, who would have thought something like this could happen, it’s terribly tragic,” New South Wales Police Minister Yasmin Catley said.

Minister of State for Emergencies Jihad Deeb said it was an “absolutely freak incident”.

It is likely that the boat “struck or was struck by a whale that came out of the water, causing the boat to capsize, ejecting both men,” police said in a statement. Authorities have not identified the species of whale.

Australia’s vast coastline is home to 10 large and 20 smaller species of whales. Although whale deaths in the region are rare, neighboring Australia and New Zealand are hotspots for mass whale strandings.

Eight Danes were rescued in June when their sailboat capsized in the Pacific Ocean after colliding with one or two whales. (Photo source Dreamstime)