Marine experts say a 40-foot whale that was stranded in the surf off Galveston has died.
Officials with the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network spent several hours Tuesday monitoring the whale, as it thrashed in the water, but it died.
Network spokeswoman Heidi Whitehead says the whale apparently was very ill to get that close to shore before dying.
Officials had no immediate information on the species or how long the whale was in the surf before being discovered Tuesday morning, about 30 yards from shore.
Dozens of people had gathered on the beach watching efforts to try to save the struggling whale.
Two tractors were being positioned to put straps around the carcass and haul the body to shore. Whitehead says a necropsy would be performed Wednesday.
