About 40 beached whales in New Zealand die -report

CANBERRA, Nov 10 (Reuters) About 40 whales died on a New Zealand beach after swimming too close to shore but beachside residents were able to save about 40 others, Australian media reported today.

The beachings of the pilot whales prompted a community-wide rescue by residents of Ruakaka Beach, about 140 km north of Auckland, the Australian Broadcasting Corp said. Rescuers said about 40 whales had been pushed back to sea after volunteers from the town came to their aid.

''People seemed to come out of the woodwork from everywhere,'' firefighter Ben Trial told ABC.

Rescue coordinator Sue Campbell said burial plans were underway for 40 or so whales that died on the beach.

New Zealand has one of the world's highest rates of whale strandings, with historical records showing more than 5,000 whales and dolphins had beached themselves in the past 160 years.

The whales became stranded after swimming too close to the beach, according to the New Zealand Herald newspaper.

REUTERS SP MIR KP1510