More than 20 pilot whales come ashore on Florida beach

FORT PIERCE (AP) - More than 20 pilot whales came ashore on a South Florida beach on Saturday, triggering a daylong effort by state and national officials, nearby residents and others to save them.

By evening, five pilot whales - two calves and three juveniles - had been transported to Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Institute for rehabilitation. The rest had died of natural causes or had to be humanely euthanised, said Ms Allison Garrett, a spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) fisheries service.

The pod of 22 whales came ashore on Saturday morning at Avalon Beach State Park in St. Lucie County. They ranged from calves and juveniles to adult whales.

Ms Garrett said it was unclear why the whales became stranded.