Over 100 small whales wash ashore Tuticorin coast, several dead

Chennai, Jan 12: More than a hundred whales (short finned pilot whales) have washed ashore in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu since Monday, several of them feared dead.

These small whales could be seen lying on the 16 kilo meter long strech of the coast, some 600 km away from Chennai.

Several whales are battling for their lives. Local fishermen tried saving them by pulling them back to the sea but to no avail.

As per a TOI report, a local fishermen was quoted as saying, "The whales started reaching the shore in groups around 5pm. It is very strange. In 1973 when we were boys, we witnessed same phenomenon. However, not these many washed ashore then."

Tuticorin district collector has also inspected the coast. Officials were investigating the reason for such a huge number of whales reaching the shore, he was quoted by the TOI as saying.

A team from the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park in Ramanathapuram has rushed to the spot.

OneIndia News