Race to save beached whales

ENVIRONMENT protection rangers were last night frantically working to rescue two beached whales stuck between Fraser Island and the mainland.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers were heading to a nearby island to undertake a planned burn when they saw the two whales on Sheridan Flats southwest of Ungowa yesterday morning.

The department said the 10m and 12m humpbacks were stranded in a similar place to where a pod of killer whales was successfully freed in 2013.

Rangers tried to refloat the whales on high tide yesterday afternoon but failed.

Last night the QPWS rangers were trying to comfort the whales during low tide before again trying to refloat them at the next high tide.