477 whales die in ‘heartbreaking’ New Zealand strandings

A string of dead pilot whales line the beach at Tupuangi Beach, Chatham Islands, in New Zealand’s Chatham Archipelago (AP)

Some 477 pilot whales have died after stranding themselves on two remote New Zealand beaches over recent days, officials say.

None of the stranded whales could be refloated and all either died naturally or were euthanised in a “heartbreaking” loss, Daren Grover from the Project Jonah rescue charity said.