More than 50 dead pilot whales have been found washed up on a remote beach in western Iceland.
Tourists on a helicopter sightseeing tour spotted the carcasses in Löngufjörur on Thursday.
David Schwarzhans, a pilot for Reykjavik Helicopters, said he and his passengers counted 50 long-finned pilot whales washed up on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.
Mr Schwarzhans said 'there might have been more. Some were already buried in sand'.
He said the whales were concentrated in one spot and described it as 'a very sad scene'.
The whales are believed to have swum ashore at the same time and died of dehydration.
The pilot whale is notorious for stranding in mass numbers, for reasons that are not entirely understood.
Last year, local people got a large group of whales to turn away from a spot on the opposite side of the peninsula.
TWEET YOUR COMMENT