About 20 sei whales beached along Chile

More than 20 endangered whales have been founded beached on the Chilean coast.

Chilean officials say about two dozen endangered sei whales have been found beached along the South American country's southern coast.

Foreign scientists discovered the whales on the Gulf of Penas on Friday and reported them to the National Fisheries Service.

While a statement from government officials said there were around 20 whales, the scientists said they counted more than 30.

It's not unusual to find beached whales along Chile's 4,200km coast. However, it's the first time sei whales have been found beached in the country, the Fisheries Service said.

The International Union for Conservation of Natures lists the sei as an endangered species. Adults can be longer than 15 metres and weigh 20 tons or more.

Officials said they were trying to determine what caused the whales to wind up on the beach.


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Source: AAP


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