21-foot killer whale dies after washing ashore on Florida beach

A 21-foot killer whale has died after it washed ashore on a Florida beach, officials said Wednesday.

Deputies with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office responded Wednesday morning to the scene south of Jungle Hut Park in Palm Coast, where they discovered a beached orca, officials said in tweet. The killer whale later died.

Video released by the sheriff’s office shows the killer whale lying lifeless on its side on the beach as waves crash over it.

Officials were called to the scene to help remove the killer whale with help from Sea World and the L Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said. Officials said an autopsy will be conducted.

Due to the large number of people who gathered to see the whale, officials closed Jungle Hut Road to all traffic.

Deputies asked residents to “avoid the area at this time.”

Dr. Erin Fougeres, NOAA’s Marine Mammal Protection Program Administrator, said WKMG that this is the first killer whale stranding in the Southeast region of the United States.

In accordance with NOAAkiller whales are more common in cold waters such as Antarctica, Norway, and Alaska, but they can also be found in tropical and subtropical waters.