Whales die after washing up on beach in 'largest live stranding in Ireland's history'

A number of whales have died after they washed up on an Irish beach in the largest live stranding of the animals in the country's history.

Just one of the seven northern bottlenose whales in Rossnowlagh, Donegal, is still alive - but while experts on the scene feared its hopes of survival were low, they later said they were "cautiously optimistic" after it was seen swimming out with the incoming tide.

Sibeal Regan, from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), told Sky News their officers had been providing the animals with palliative care, but had been unable to prevent the majority dying.

"It's very sad, but it is some consolation to know that they are no longer suffering," she said.

She said three of the normally deep-diving whales had been left on the beach, with the other four stranded in shallow water.

And while IWDG experts had been taking measures to ease the creatures' suffering, they were forced to leave the beach as the tide came in.

"All the whales have now been submerged by water, but tragically the majority have died," she said.

"One of them is still alive and can still be seen trying to breathe."

Ms Regan explained that despite the tide coming in, hopes the only surviving member of the group would make it back to its normal habitat alive were remote.

"It's very bleak," she said.

"Because northern bottlenose whales are deep-diving, the fact that they are in shallow coastal waters means that its chances of survival without the rest of its family are very low."

But the group later released video which offered fresh hope, saying: "One whale seen here lifting its head to breathe has refloated itself and swam out with the incoming tide.

"We are cautiously optimistic it will make it out but IWDG will standby and check to see if it restrands."

She told Sky News that while investigations were ongoing, the cause of whale strandings was normally "acoustic trauma" - which she said was invariably the result of human activity.