The shark, weighing about 1.5 tons, has been sent to a local aquarium to be made into a zoological specimen.
Whale sharks seldom approach coastal regions, which indicates that this shark might have been ill prior to its death.
Earth Changes
The shark, weighing about 1.5 tons, has been sent to a local aquarium to be made into a zoological specimen.
Whale sharks seldom approach coastal regions, which indicates that this shark might have been ill prior to its death.
© Remo Casilli / Reuters
Rescuers work in the night at a collapsed house following an earthquake in Pescara del Tronto, central Italy, August 24, 2016.
Rescuers work in the night at a collapsed house following an earthquake in Pescara del Tronto, central Italy, August 24, 2016.
Italy's earthquake death toll has climbed to 247, local wire service ANSA quoted regional officials as saying.
Meanwhile, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported yet another 4.6-magnitude earthquake hit central Italy, some 66 km northeast from the town of Terni, with a population of over 220,000 people. It was the 22nd quake in the region in less than 24 hours.
The dramatic rescue operation continued overnight into the early hours of Thursday as scores of people are still believed trapped under the rubble. Thousands have been left homeless.
At least 86 victims come from the small towns of Amatrice and Accumoli that lie close to the epicenter of the quake, about 100 km from Rome.
© AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Mourners cremating a body on a rooftop in Varanasi after floods made it impossible to perform the ceremony by the banks of River Ganges.
Mourners cremating a body on a rooftop in Varanasi after floods made it impossible to perform the ceremony by the banks of River Ganges.
Heavy monsoon rains have caused rivers, including the mighty Ganges and its tributaries, to burst their banks forcing people into relief camps in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
Government officials in Bihar, which has seen some of the worst flooding this year with almost 120 dead and more than 5 million affected, said the situation was serious.
"The flood waters have engulfed low-lying areas, homes and fields of crops," said Zafar Rakib, a district magistrate of Katihar, one of 24 districts out of Bihar's 38 districts which have been hit by the deluge.
© Highland Mountain Company
'Astonishing' snow depth on North Face of Ben Nevis
'Astonishing' snow depth on North Face of Ben Nevis
© New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
The Department of Environmental Protection said the dead fish found in Waackcaack Creek in Keansburg are peanut bunker, which is a name used to describe Atlantic Menhaden when they are first developing after hatching. Officials believe they were likely chased into the creek by either bluefish or skates.
The peak of the dead fish appeared to be Saturday, said Bob Considine, a spokesman for the DEP.
"Although the water is tidal, the creek and other surrounding waters where the fish have washed up can get stagnant during certain tides and we believe at this point that the die off is due to dissolved oxygen levels in the water," Considine said.
See what the fish kill looked like from above, via NewsCopter 7:
The quake is said to have happened after 3:30am local time on Wednesday morning when people were still sleeping in their homes. It has been reported that some 60 aftershocks have followed in the first four hours of the initial earthquake, some having reached a magnitude of 5.5.
Geological experts estimate the depth of the quake to be around 6 miles. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the magnitude at 6.1, while the United States Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.2. The quake was felt across a broad section of the central part of the country, including the capital, Rome.
The epicenter of the devastating quake has been marked in the town of Norcia in Umbria region, about 105 miles northwest of Rome.
Comment: UPDATES
The earthquake hit 126km north of Rome, the largest and most populous city of the region with 2.6 million people.
The death toll from the earthquake has risen to 84, local broadcaster RAI has reported.
Fabrizio Curcio, the head of Civilian Defense service, who is now in Amatrice, reported that in that town and adjacent Accumoli alone the number of those dead has soared to 60.
© Emiliano Grillotti / Reuters
Amatrice, central Italy
Amatrice, central Italy
The town of Norcia, home to some 5,000 residents, lies just 10km southeast of the quake's epicenter, according to US Geological Survey (USGS). The ancient Italian city of Spoleto in the Perugia province with some 40,000 residents is located 35km east of the quake.
The national civil protection agency stated the earthquake is estimated to be "severe," Reuters reported.
Apart from Amatrice, buildings have collapsed in Arquata and Norcia. At least two deaths due to the earthquake were reported in Arquata, according to RailNews 24.
© Remo Casilli / Reuters
Amatice, Italy
Amatice, Italy
Apart from Amatrice, buildings have collapsed in Arquata and Norcia. At least two deaths due to the earthquake were reported in Arquata, according to RailNews 24.
The USGS graphics suggest "significant casualties" are likely to occur in Central Italy with small town of Accumoli, Norcia, Maltignano, Amatrice, Cascia and Cittareale are listed as most exposed to the quake. The economic damages are expected to be significant and "likely widespread."
A series of strong aftershocks followed the initial quake. One with a 5.5 magnitude occurred 4 kilometers from the town of Norcia at a depth of 10 kilometers.
© Bikas Das/AP
Tremors from the earthquake were also reported in Kolkata, India, where people fled office buildings.
Tremors from the earthquake were also reported in Kolkata, India, where people fled office buildings.
The site, which is often compared to Cambodia's Angkor Wat, holds more than 2,000 temples and pagodas, some of them centuries old.
The earthquake was so intense that it was felt in Bangkok about 620 miles (1,000km) away.
The quake's epicentre was about 25 miles south of Bagan, which has grown extremely popular with backpackers and foreign tourists in recent years.
A resident spotted the calf while taking dogs for a run at about 6pm and reported it to the RSPCA, with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service then notified at 7pm.
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Locals also mounted their own night time rescue mission by boat to the remote beach near Salmon Creek, on the eastern side of Cape Cleveland.
A Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service spokeswoman said officers were responding to the stranded humpback whale yesterday morning.
© DFO
A dead juvenile humpback whale washed ashore in the Cowichan Valley after being spotted in the area for days. Aug. 23, 2016.
A dead juvenile humpback whale washed ashore in the Cowichan Valley after being spotted in the area for days. Aug. 23, 2016.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says the whale was spotted in distress a few days ago.
It believes the young whale was separated from its mother and may have starved.
It was discovered on private industrial land in the Cowichan Valley today.
The DFO says it will be performing a necropsy on the juvenile humpback tomorrow.
According to Nambiyur police, K Murugesan, 54, of Onnankuttai near Nambiyur is a farmer rearing 40 sheep, goats and five cows in his fertile land. M Kannammal, Murugesan's wife had taken the sheep and goats to graze. On Monday evening, there was a drizzle with lightning and heavy thunder across Gobichettipalayam taluk. Due to the rain, she tied the cattle to a coconut tree nearby. A few goats were returned to the enclosed pen.
However, lightning struck, killing 22 sheep. "I saw it happen right in front of my eyes," said Kannammal. She herself had a narrow escape from death, she added.
Neighbours who witnessed the incident, immediately alerted Nambiyur police and veterinary doctors. Meanwhile, Anjanur VAO Shanmugam, revenue inspector Logeswaran also visited the spot and estimated the loss.
Veterinary doctor Dr. Gokula Krishnan performed autopsy on the spot on Tuesday morning. Later, all the 22 sheep were buried in the land the same evening.
Comment: An earthquake of comparable force hit the nearby city of L'Aquila in 2009, killing 309 people. In the subsequent 'witch hunt' seven seismologists were convicted of manslaughter for failing to adequately assess the earthquake risk. In 2012 they were sentenced to six years in prison, six were acquitted two years later.
This is one of the most seismically active parts of Italy as clearly identified in many seismic hazard maps. Addressing the fundamental reason for such tragic loss of life, Kevin McCue, president of the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, said Mr Renzi, the Italian prime minister,says "Our credibility and honor depends on a real reconstruction that would prevent the inhabitants of these municipalities from leaving, to allow these beautiful places to start over."
The reason why so many buildings fall down in Italy during earthquakes is that many were put up without planning consent, with the structural guarantees that normally accompany it; but more specifically buildings have simply not been designed and built with due consideration to the seismic threat, like in Japan for instance.
According to the government own statistics office, unlawful construction in Italy is of "dimensions unparalleled in other advanced economies". The latest estimate, for 2014, is that 18% of buildings are erected without permission, excluding extensions.
Unless these planning and construction laws are completely overhauled further tragedies such as this are inevitable.