A commuter ferry has hit a humpback whale when it surfaced for air in a busy bay.
The WSF Wenatche ferry was just three minutes into the 10-mile trip from Seattle to Bainbridge Island across Elliott Bay, USA, according to NBC News.
Passengers and the crew were shocked as they saw the whale bleeding near the side of the boat after the hit.
One passenger told The Seattle Times: "Everyone watched in horror.
"The whale surfaced after being struck and [was] gushing a lot of blood. It surfaced a few more times before sinking."
David Crochet, who filmed the injured whale, told Kiro 7: "My wife and I, we were watching sunset around 8.20pm and she spotted this flock of birds circling in the middle of the Sound.
"I noticed the water spouts, took out my phone and started filming. I didn't realise the whale had been hit at that point."
Ferry officials said the whale went back down the water and had received no reports of gray whale or other whale sightings in the area.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesman Michael Milstein wrote to NBC News to confirm that the whale was a juvenile humpback whale.
Gregory Faust, WSF director of marine operations, said: "I feel terrible. The crew's the one that feels terrible, they know after the fact what happened, so they're extremely remorseful and feel terrible about the situation."
He added that the crew was not aware of the incident until passengers alerted them.
It is reported that the whale had breached about five to 10ft in front of the vessel.
Faust said even if the crew had seen the whale, the ferry would not have been able to stop in time.
He explained: "It takes a little over a minute to go from full ahead to a full stop in the water.
"At 5 to 10 feet, there's no chance to even try to manoeuver the vessel."
The West Coast marine mammal Stranding Network and the Coast Guard were notified and are on alert for an injured or dead whale in the area.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a statement, saying that 'based on information provided by passengers it is likely the strike was fatal'.
