Dozens of whales die in Australian mass stranding

Dozens of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding on Australia’s island state of Tasmania, state parks and wildlife officials said on Saturday.

A wildlife official contacted by Reuters put the number of stranded whales at 64, and said 13 of those were still alive as of about 8pm local time (9am GMT).

The whales were discovered by a member of the public at Stanley on the island’s north-west coast, local parks manager Chris Arthur said in a statement.

An attempt would be made to rescue the surviving animals on Sunday, he said.

“We have equipment and whale rescue trailers coming from around the state,” Arthur said.

Mass strandings of whales occur periodically in Australia and New Zealand for reasons that are not entirely understood.—Reuters