Fifty-five pilot whales stranded on South African beach

KOMMETJIE BEACH, South Africa (Reuters) - About 55 pilot whales were stranded on a beach near Cape Town on Saturday and rescue teams had to humanely kill some after failing to return them all to the ocean, the sea rescue institute said.

Marine scientists and volunteers managed to get more than 20 of the whales back into the water despite bad weather and high waves, local media said, but some 30 remained and were having to be put down by being shot in the head.

Craig Lambinon, spokesman for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), said the number of mammals having to be humanely killed had yet to be confirmed.

"Some of the whales have returned to the sea, so we won't be able to confirm the number of those put down until the operation is completed," Lambinon told Reuters, adding that it was being conducted by Marine and Coastal Management.

A further three whales died earlier in the rescue attempt apart from the 30 left stranded at the end, local media said.

Rescuers had battled to keep the beached adults and calves wet and also used earth-moving equipment to try to save them, but many of the animals were pushed back ashore by the high waves, Lambinon said.

Lambinon said it was still unclear why the whales had first come ashore at 0530 GMT, adding it was the first mass beaching of whales he knew of on the popular coastline.

Whale-watching off South Africa is a popular attraction with tourists, who often line roads at strategic spots to catch a glimpse of the giants of the ocean.