Around 230 pilot whales were found stranded on the west coast of Tasmania in Australia on Wednesday. Despite the rescue efforts of marine conservation experts, about 200 of the stranded whales have died.

A day after 230 whales were found stranded on the wild and remote west coast of Australia’s island state of Tasmania, only 35 were still alive despite rescue efforts that were to continue Thursday.

Half the pod of pilot whales stranded in Macquarie Harbour were presumed to still be alive on Wednesday, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania said.

A photo taken on September 21 and released by Tasmania's department of natural resources and environment shows the scale of the crisis, with dozens whales stretching along the beach and just barely covered in water.

“We’ve got approximately 35 surviving animals out on the beach ... and the primary focus this morning will be on the rescue and release of those animals,” Clark added.

The incident comes two years after Australia experienced its worst whale stranding in history.

In 2020, some 470 pilot whales were stranded in the same location on the west coast of Tasmania, and over 350 of these whales died, Reuters reported, citing local officials. Some 111 whales were rescued.

Clarke said of the mass stranding on Wednesday, adding that in the 2020 incident, the whales were stranded in "sheltered waters."