A 42 feet giant blue whale was washed ashore near the coast of Revas in Raigad District in Maharashtra. Forest officials had reportedly contacted marine biologists after spotting it on Wednesday when it was still alive and struggling to survive.

"This big whale was first spotted on the shore on Wednesday afternoon. It was initially showing signs of life, so the villagers tried to push it back in the sea. However, the whale later died,'' informed a local resident.

Chief conservator of forests (mangroves cell), N Vasudevan, said: "It is unfortunate that this blue whale was stranded in the shallow sea and eventually died. The blue whales are the biggest species of earth, and can grow up to 100 feet."

Vasudevan added that the dead whale was later buried on the beach at Revas on Thursday. This is reportedly the biggest sized whale to have washed ashore in and around Mumbai coast in recent times. Around two months ago another dead whale was found at the Uran coast of Raigad district; while several dead dolphins were also found around the Mumbai cost in the recent past.

"Marine creatures like dolphins and whales are being regularly spotted on the shores like this due to various reasons, including sea pollution due to our industrial effluents. The latest blue whale to be found at the Raigad district shows that our waters are rich in biodiversity, and that we must take care of our environment,'' said activist, D Stalin.

The blue while lying in a pool of water during rescue operation (left); people lay flowers on the whale after she died (right).

Earlier this year, there was a wave of excitement among scientists after marine biologists from the Cetacean Population Study team had spotted live blue whales in the sea, close to the Konkan coast of Sindhudurg.

- Manohar