Rescuers and volunteers have been racing against time since Monday to save about 100 pilot whales stranded on Sri Lanka's western coast in the island nation's biggest-ever mass beaching. 

The operation conducted by the police, navy, coast guard and local volunteers has continued amid a COVID-19 curfew that was implemented early last week. 

Whales are notorious for large-scale stranding, the cause of which has not been deciphered yet by scientists. In September, about 470 got stuck on  a beach in Tasmania in Australia.

(All images via VCG)

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