Nine short-finned pilot whales died stranded on a beach on the northern Spain coast, the regional government said on Tuesday. Local authorities and residents managed to help others back to sea.
The whales were spotted on Monday on Moris beach, in Carreno, Asturias, and a protocol to save them was activated, with officials and volunteers working until late at night to help the animals, the Asturias government said on Twitter.
“Half a dozen have managed to return to the sea, although they remain close to the coast. Efforts are now focused on keeping them from returning to the beach,” it said.
The bodies of the nine dead whales will undergo an autopsy in the nearby town of Gijon.
Images of stranded whales attracted worldwide attention earlier this month in Australia, where almost 400 pilot whales died.
Donate🐋 El dispositivo coordinado por la Consejería de Medio Rural trabajó hasta bien entrada la noche para tratar de liberar a varios calderones varados en la playa de Morís (Carreño). El Protocolo de Varamiento de Cetáceos se activó ayer nada más localizar a los ejemplares pic.twitter.com/4ftA55U2jQ
— Gobierno de Asturias (@GobAsturias) September 29, 2020
