150 whales feared dead after beaching

Futile effort: A resident pouring seawater over one of the melon-headed whales beached on the shore of Hokota city. — AFP

HOKOTA: Rescuers were forced to abandon efforts to save around 150 melon-headed whales that were stranded on a beach in Japan, after frantically trying all day to save them.

As darkness fell, local officials in Hokota, about 100km northeast of Tokyo, said they had been able to save only three of the animals that had beached and that the rescue effort had been called off.