UPDATE 3:16 pm IST: 45 small fin whales that had washed up on the beaches of Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district have died, reports said.
Nearly 100 whales and dolphins had washed ashore on the shores of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. 36 had been rescued by locals and officials, NDTV reported.
Original Story:
More than 50 dolphins and fin whales were found washed ashore in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district, also known as Tuticorin, on Tuesday.
While The NewsMinute reported that the number ranged from 50 to 60, NDTV said that nearly 100 whales had been beached in the state.
Local fishermen found stranded dolphins on at least two beaches on Monday night, The NewsMinute reported. At least a couple of the fishes died, according to the report.
Earlier, a few fishermen near the Kulasekarapattinam beach had put some of the stranded whales back into the sea.
"These are small fin whales. They appear disoriented. It is the first time so many have been beached," Tuticorin district official Ravi Kumar told NDTV.
"We have asked senior officials from the Gulf of Mannar marine park and the forest department to investigate," he said.
