Dozens of pilot whales stranded on New Zealand coast

Dozens of pilot whales were found stranded on a beach in New Zealand's North Island, according to the Department of Conservation. Rescuers are working to refloat some of the surviving animals.

The Department of Conservation reported at least 20 pilot whales stranded along the Ngawi coast near Cape Palliser, the southern-most point of the North Island. The department is collaborating with local iwi and Project Jonah, a group that specializes in rescuing stranded whales.

Two whales have been successfully refloated so far, while volunteers are attempting to keep the remaining survivors alive and hydrated using buckets of water and towels. Locals estimated up to 50 whales were stranded overnight, according to Radio New Zealand.

Project Jonah posted on Facebook that four whales were still alive and rescuers planned to attempt refloating during high tide. The cause of the stranding remains unknown, though whale strandings are fairly common in New Zealand and Australia owing to large populations of pilot whales living in the deep oceans surrounding both island nations.

Ngawi local Rob Bargh described the situation as 'horrible,' noting that the surviving whales were on their last breaths.