Stranded Whales Off Skye Refloated By Rescuers

Twelve whales stranded off the Isle of Skye have been refloated by rescuers.

Twenty-one long-finned pilot whales became stuck on rocks on Staffin Island off the northern coast on Tuesday.

A team from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) succeeded in freeing some of the stranded mammals - but nine were understood to have died.

The BDMLR was alerted to a pod of 21 pilot whales that had become stranded at Brogaig Bay on Skye at about 4am.

It is thought a female whale getting into trouble while calving may have caused the stranding.

A BDMLR spokeswoman said: "All we can do now is keep our fingers crossed.

"We will be back out in the morning to check where they are. All we can do is hope."

The pod was first spotted off Staffin at 4.30pm on Monday.