Stranded whale rescued in East China

HANGZHOU -- Rescuers have evacuated a whale stranded ashore to deep waters in East China's Zhejiang province after 20 hours of a rescue operation.

Rescuers on Wednesday morning towed the massive whale to shallow waters until it was able to swim back to the sea.

The whale was stranded near Xiangshan county, Ningbo city, Tuesday morning. Local fishery administration and fire control staff immediately carried out the rescue operation.

Rescuers sprinkled water on its 20-meter long body and dug a trench pool of seawater around the stranded whale.

At about 5:30 am on Wednesday, the rescue team cut the hauling cable and set the whale free in deep waters.