More than 80 whales wash ashore on India’s southern coast

The short-finned pilot whales began washing up on beaches on Monday evening, said M. Ravi Kumar, the top government official in the southeastern port town of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu state.

Local administration informed that this is for the “first time when these small fin whales have beached”. At least 20 are feared dead.

According to officials, fishermen have managed to drag many of them back to the sea.

The alertness and sensitivity of the local fishermen is been acknowledged by one and all as these people had remained awake all through the night to put the whales back into the sea.

Reports say that more than 100 whales were found on the 16km stretch from Alanthalai to Kallamozhi coastal hamlets. In 1973 when we were boys, we witnessed same phenomenon. Senior officials from the Gulf of Mannar marine park and the forest department are investigating into the reason.

NDTV quoting officials said the whales may have come from the Pacific Ocean and may be injured from the coral reefs and rocky shores of the Tamil Nadu coast.