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| Whale beached in Cornwall dies despite rescue attempts | Whale beached in Cornwall dies despite rescue attempts |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A whale found stranded on a beach in Cornwall has died despite rescue efforts. | A whale found stranded on a beach in Cornwall has died despite rescue efforts. |
| It was spotted swimming near Nare Point in the morning and beached itself on rocks at Parbean Cove on the Lizard peninsula at about midday. | It was spotted swimming near Nare Point in the morning and beached itself on rocks at Parbean Cove on the Lizard peninsula at about midday. |
| Volunteers had been dowsing it in water to help keep it alive and hoped to return it to the sea at high tide. | Volunteers had been dowsing it in water to help keep it alive and hoped to return it to the sea at high tide. |
| British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) sent experts to the scene and confirmed it had stopped breathing. | British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) sent experts to the scene and confirmed it had stopped breathing. |
| The animal was a fin whale, the second largest creature on earth, and was 63ft (19.25m) long. | The animal was a fin whale, the second largest creature on earth, and was 63ft (19.25m) long. |
| Dan Jarvis from BDMLR said they were called to the beach at about 13:30 GMT. | |
| He said: "When we first got here the animal was opening its mouth wide and beating its tail against the rocks and it sounded like thunder." | |
| Mr Jarvis said the fin whale would not be able to support its own weight so it was "crushing itself". | |
| He said the whale was "in poor nutritional condition" - suggesting it was already in poor health before beaching. | |
| Steve Green, from Clean Ocean Sailing, said the whale had been swimming alongside their boat at Helston in the morning and was found stranded on the beach at about noon. | Steve Green, from Clean Ocean Sailing, said the whale had been swimming alongside their boat at Helston in the morning and was found stranded on the beach at about noon. |
| "I was really hoping we could get some help. Twenty people have turned up and I was hoping at high tide we could help her back out," he said. | "I was really hoping we could get some help. Twenty people have turned up and I was hoping at high tide we could help her back out," he said. |
| "She stopped thrashing around and stopped breathing, it's really sad." | |
| BDMLR states on its website that whales do not beach themselves under normal circumstances. | BDMLR states on its website that whales do not beach themselves under normal circumstances. |
| It also warns that the chances of a whale surviving being stranded are slim. | It also warns that the chances of a whale surviving being stranded are slim. |