Whales beached

Sydney: Australian rescuers were racing against time to save 15 shortfinned pilot whales yesterday after more than 150 of the migrating mammals beached on the country’s west coast.

Most of the whales had died, said Jeremy Chick, incident controller at Western Australia’s conservation department, after becoming stranded on dry land on Thursday night.

Authorities and trained volunteers were trying to save 15 in shallow waters.

The whales beached at Hamelin Bay, 315 km south of the state’s capital, Perth. — Reuters