Carcass of whale washed ashore in coastal hamlet of Purakkad in Kerala

Alappuzha: The carcass of a whale washed ashore in the coastal hamlet of Purakkad in this district, local people said on Wednesday.

The almost 30-metre-long dead whale was found near the shore the previous evening, and it was not decomposed completely, they said.

A large number of people are now flocking to the beach to have a glimpse of the mammal.

The stinking smell emanating from the carcass was unbearable, a local woman said.

"We cannot even cook or eat due to this overwhelming smell. The carcass should be removed from the beach at the earliest," she told the media.

Panchayat authorities said officials concerned were informed about the washing ashore of the whale carcass.

It is the second instance in which a dead whale washed ashore in this district in the last few days, with a whale carcass washed ashore, in the same fashion, in the Poonthura area, in the first instance. Poonthura is only a few kilometres away from Purakkad.

A section of social media users attributed the death of whales to the ship accident off the state coast recently. However, authorities are yet to explain the cause of death of the whales.