Four out of 10 whales beached in Indonesia die of injuries and exhaustion | Pictures

The sperm whales became stranded Monday at Ujong Kareng beach and attracted hundreds of onlookers who posed for pictures with them.

Four of 10 whales that beached off Indonesia’s Aceh province have died because of injuries and exhaustion, a fisheries official said Tuesday.

Indonesian officers from Nature Conservation Agency (BKSDA) and environmental activists trying to refloat stranded sperm whales in Aceh Besar. (AFP Photo)

The sperm whales became stranded Monday at Ujong Kareng beach and attracted hundreds of onlookers who posed for pictures with them.

Nur Mahdi, the head of Aceh’s marine and fisheries office, said two whales that were both extensively scratched and bruised died early Tuesday while two others that were very weak died a few hours later.

Government workers, residents and environmentalists try to help to a pod of sperm whales.

Officers from the Nature Conservation Agency (BKSDA) and environmental activists attempt to pull a beached sperm whale into deeper waters in Aceh Besa.

Rescuers attempt to push stranded whales back into the ocean at Ujong Kareng beach in Aceh province.

He said five of the giant mammals were refloated on Monday and led out to sea by boats, but waves washed two back to shore. Fishing boats led the pair and a remaining whale out to sea on Tuesday.

Locals approach a pod of sperm whales stranded in shallow water in Durung Village, Aceh Besar.

This general picture taken by a drone camera shows Indonesian officers from Nature Conservation Agency (BKSDA) and environmental activists trying to refloat stranded sperm whales.

A veterinarian from the Nature Conservation Agency (BKSDA) examines a dead sperm whale.

An environmental activist examines a dead sperm whale on a beach in Aceh Besar.

Several dozen strandings of whales, dolphins and other marine mammals are reported each year in Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands.

Ten pilot whales died last year when a pod of more than 30 stranded off the coast of Probolinggo district in East Java province.