About a dozen dead whales found in Chile

Santiago: About a dozen dead whales were found beached in southern Chile, maritime officials said Friday, who said they were trying to determine what caused their deaths.

The whales, found in the northern Gulf of Penas, measured about 10 meters (33 feet) long, according to officials with Chile`s national fisheries service.

Officials identified them as sei whales, which are internationally protected after having been hunted nearly to extinction during the middle of the 20th century.

The animals were discovered by a group of foreign scientists who were conducting research in the area, officials said.