Giant whale washes up on beach

Sad end: Local officials inspecting the bloated carcass of a whale near the shore in Kupang, in East Nusa Tenggara. — AFP

A giant 23m whale washed up near a beach in Indonesia but it was unclear how the enormous marine mammal died, a conservation official said.

Curious onlookers crowded the shore of coastal Kupang city on Wednesday as officials scrambled to figure out what to do with the bloated carcass, which was first spotted on Tuesday.