Whale Watching Guides Race to Save Beached Whales in Iceland

A whale watching group jumped into action when they saw two beached bottlenose whales in Iceland Thursday.

Members of the Special Tours whale watching expedition alerted their guides to the stranded mammals, which had beached on the shore of Engey Island, RUV reported.

The guides took a small boat to the island to try to help the whales, which were both still breathing.

Video shows rescuers attempting to keep the whales wet by spraying them with water, while others tried to maintain their body temperature by covering them with towels.

The goal was to keep the whales alive until the tide rose enough for them to swim away, but sadly, one did not survive.

The other was eventually guided to the bay during high tide. A rescuer monitored the whale from a paddleboard as it swam away.

Bottlenose whales can weigh up to seven tons and are widespread in the waters around Iceland.

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