Eighty-one whales were washed onto the shores of Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday morning.
Two to three whales came onto the shores of Kulasekarapatinam on Monday night and the fishermen had put them back into the sea. But on Tuesday morning, a large number of whales were back on the shores even though they were put back into the sea by fishermen and officials.
While 45 beached whales died, 36 whales were rescued and towed to deep sea.
According to officials, the whales may have come to the shore from the Pacific. The stranded whales may have been hurt by corals and rocks. An autopsy is being conducted on the whales.
Correction: An earlier version of the copy mentioned dolphins. The error has been corrected.