Dead whale causes big stink in Norway

Published: July 18, 2007 at 11:02 AM
Order reprints
KORSNESET, Norway, July 18 (UPI) -- A dead whale bobbing in the sea near Korsneset, Norway, is emitting a noxious odor and officials are hurrying to get rid of it before its stomach explodes.

A foul scent wafted through the air as the decomposing, 33-foot-long mammal floated in a west coast fjord, Aftenposten reported Wednesday.

Tore Haug of the Norwegian Marine Research Institute in Bergen, north of Korsneset, warned emergency crews trying to tow the completely white cadaver, which weighs several tons, that gases in the whale's stomach could erupt, causing a massive, stinky blast.

"It would be quite unpleasant if the stomach blows up," Haug told the Web site bt.no. "It's not very nice to have rotten whale parts showering over you."

It is unclear where the whale came from or when it died.

"We don't want to risk having it wash ashore under any circumstances," Per Stiegler, operations leader of the Hordaland Police District, told news bureau NTB.

The police, Coast Guard, Bergen officials and marine researchers were also trying to sink the whale.

They hope to find a way to dispose of the whale by the end of the day.


© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Well-dressed begger says good clothes help (1 min)
Prosecutors drop Barry stalking case (7 min)
UPI NewsTrack Business (10 min)
NASA scientists study carbonate rocks (13 min)
Study: U.S. hospitals let too many die (18 min)
UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News (20 min)
Winnipeg, Canada, retains Slurpee title (27 min)
fark
MoveOn.org draws a crowd of 30 demonstrators in Alabama. None miss work
People were looking for sexual favors on Craigslist in exchange for tickets to Michael Jackson's...
Toronto mayor tries to tell world everything is fine; cut off as press conference attacked by giant...
"If it weren't for overdraft fees, 45% of banks and credit unions wouldn't have made money in 2008"...
Woman's cunning attempt to elude police during car chase ends when she A. Hits a tree B. Runs out...
Obama: Poorer nations should fight harder against global warming. Poorer Nations: Obama should EABOD....