Rescuers are struggling to save more than 80 short-finned pilot whales that have washed up on beaches in Tamil Nadu state

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

More than 80 whales are stranded on the southern coast of India, according to officials.

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

He said officials had rescued at least 36 of the mammals and returned them to the sea, but they appeared to be disoriented, with some finding their way back to the beach.

Kumar said short-finned pilot whales travel in pods, and that the absence of a leader confuses the group.