Pics: 42-ft-long blue whale washed ashore, buried by JCB machines

People in Maharashtra witnessed death of a 42-ft-long blue whale, who washed ashore, by its own injuries and later buried by the help of JCB machines at the shore. This largest extant animal and among the heaviest existing species on the earth was washed ashore following high tide at the Revdanda sea shore, about 20 kms from Alibaug in Maharashtra's Raigad district, on Wednesday. The locals who spotted the whale lying in an injured condition informed the Raigad collector office and the fisheries officials. The district authorities, revenue and fisheries officials brought in JCB machines on Thursday morning and tried to push the whale into the waters, but all efforts proved futile, Deputy Collector, Alibaug region, Deepak Kshirsagar said.