Nagapattinam:
A 20-ft long whale, found battling for life after it got stranded in shallow waters near an islet about 15 kms off Kodiakarai coast near Nagapattinam yesterday, was let into the sea today, official sources said.
The whale was noticed by a few local fishermen early yesterday with half of its body above the water surface.
After an initial effort by them to rescue the whale failed, the local people informed district officials and forest department personnel.
District Wildlife officials with the help of about 100 fishermen today carted the whale to deep waters after struggling for over 12 hours, the sources said.