More Than 300 Whales Found Dead in South Chile

SANTIAGO – Police in Chile are investigating the shocking discovery of 300 dead whales in the Gulf of Penas, in the extreme south of Chile, by a group of scientists.

According to the Diario Aysen portal on Tuesday, the scientists reported the matter to the National Fisheries Service, or Sernapesca, which then passed on the information to attorney Pedro Poblete Viejo, who immediately ordered an inquiry into the causes of the death of the large number of whales.

The whales were found on Nov. 17 by the scientists, but the information was only recently passed on to the Chilean authorities.

In a similar incident in May, nearly 300 dead whales were beached in the same region in Chile.

Jorge Acevedo, an expert on cetaceans at the Cequa Foundation said several types of whales can be found in the Gulf of Penas and Puerto Natales region.

“There are stranding sites where skeleton parts can still be found,” Acevedo said.