A whale has died after it washed ashore on a sandy beach in New Zealand

Dozens of people gathered on a New Zealand beach Monday to rescue a dead whale that washed ashore near the city. Christchurch.

fin whale, seven meters, He died in the early hours of the morning after running aground in an estuary near the Mogs Bay suburb of Christchurch on the country's east coast, the Department of Defense said.

“A lot of people are concerned. Whales attract people, especially a whale of this size so close to a city,” Darren Grover of conservation group Project Jonah told Radio New Zealand.

Fin whales can grow up to 26 meters in length Weighs up to 80 tons. The Coast Guard used an excavator to remove the cetacean's body from the water.

The crowd climbed onto the rocks along the beach and some of the bystanders took photos of the moment.

Environmentalists have registered the most 5,000 whales have washed ashore in New Zealand since 1840But they rarely swim too close to Christchurch.

“It's unusual for a whale to reach an estuary and we don't know why it did this,” he said. Andy ThompsonDirector of Operations for Defense Department.