Carcasses of 30 baleen whales were found washed ashore near the Tiruchendur beach in this district early today while 250 of the same species have been stranded in shallow waters, officials said.
Efforts are on to push the stranded sea mammals into deep waters even as a team of top officials of the fisheries department have rushed to the spot to conduct a probe.
"This is an unusual thing...an unusual mortality incident, we have to find out the reason," Marine Scientist Velumani at the fisheries department, told PTI.
"There could be many reasons...navy sonars could have caused it...or pollution...the reason is not immediately known and we don't want to speculate," Assistant Director of Tuticorin fisheries department, Amal Xavier, said.
"We have to study the health of the stranded whales and also the eco-system. The study would require the help of oceanographic experts also," Velumani said.
Published 12 January 2016, 08:28 IST