Crews Bury Whale that Washed Ashore in Ocean City

Using excavators, front-end loaders and a huge dump truck, workers in Ocean City have laid to rest a 65-foot fin whale that washed ashore earlier this week.

Large crowds had gathered after the whale carcass was spotted on Monday.

Work crews dug a 12-foot-deep hole on a bay beach about eight blocks away that has been used as an unofficial whale graveyard. The site is used because holes can be dug without hitting groundwater or water lines.

Crews cut up the carcass and filled in the hole with about 50 tons of blubber and bone on Wednesday.

A necropsy by the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine concluded that the whale probably was stuck by a freighter or other large vessel.

The fin whale is among the largest whale species.

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