Tragic moment 35ft endangered blue whale calf washes up on tourist beach

This is the tragic moment an endangered blue whale calf washed up on a Japanese beach in front of stunned tourists.

The body of the infant blue whale washed up on Yuigahama beach, near Kamakura, before being examined by experts.

The calf reportedly measured 10.5 metres (34.5 feet) in length. Tokyo marine specialists said it appeared the whale had been born around January this year.

Video footage from the scene shows dozens of onlookers stood around the giant carcass, with some appearing to take photos of the body.

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Yuko Tajima, specialist in marine mammalogy at Tokyo’s National Museum of Nature and Science, said it is unprecedented for a blue whale to wash ashore in Japan and the mammals, the world’s largest animal, used to be hunted off the country’s coast.

Civil engineers reportedly dragged the whale’s body on the beach to allow experts to examine the carcass more closely.

The whale’s body is expected to be transferred to a facility in Shizuoka Prefecture for further examinations.

Adult blue whales can reach 30 metres (98 feet) in length and weigh over 170 tonnes.