Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Three killer whales rescued after being trapped in Russian ice

Footage shows rescue teams dive into sub-zero waters in an attempt to clear a path for the orcas.

Ryan Ramgobin
Wednesday 20 April 2016 12:02 EDT
Comments
Orcas get trapped in ice

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Three killer whales and one calf have been rescued after becoming stuck in ice off the coast of Russia.

The incident took place in the Sakhalin region of eastern Russia.

The rescuers had to take a small boat to reach the whales which were 50-100m away from the coastline.

They dived into sub-zero waters to clear the ice and make a path for the orcas.

The process took several hours but the three killer whales were able to make their way to the sea. The calf was protected until higher waters allowed it to join the other whales.

Denis Ilyinov, Regional Head of the Russian Emergency Ministry said the whales had got stuck overnight because the “water is shallow and filled of stones.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in