Beached whale at Carlyon Bay 'too sick to save'
The animal was reported to coastguards as thrashing about in the shallow water
A whale washed up on the beach in Cornwall will be put down after vets said it was too sick to be refloated.
Rescuers were called to the scene in Carlyon Bay where the 65ft (20m) whale was reported stranded at 04:45 BST.
Emergency services cordoned off the area to avoid causing the fin whale more distress.
But vets from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said there was no hope of refloating the animal which was stranded on an outgoing tide.
Insp Dave Meredith, of Devon and Cornwall Police, tweeted: "Sadly the whale at Carlyon bay is too sick for recovery. It is going to be humanely destroyed. Very sad."
'Distressing scene'
Coastguards said the animal was reported to them as thrashing about in the shallow water at the beach near St Austell.
Brixham Coastguard watch manager Paul Myers said: "It's obviously a very distressing scene and we would ask the public to stay away from the beach to allow the rescue unit to do their work and save the whale from further distress."
The fin whale, the second largest animal on the planet, is a globally endangered species.
The BDMLR is a voluntary network of trained experts who respond to calls by the public and emergency services when whales are stranded.
