Dead whale heads toward Rhode Island beach

LITTLE COMPTON, R.I., June 16 (UPI) -- Members of a Rhode Island beach association hope a dead humpback whale will wash up in time to be decently buried before the beach opens for the summer.

The whale has been drifting towards Briggs Beach in Little Compton for more than a week, the Providence Journal reported. Witnesses say the whale is 20 to 30 feet long and weighs between 2 and 3 tons.

A team from the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration is standing by, prepared to examine and measure the whale once it gets to the beach. Then the carcass may very well be buried right there.

Ted Wardell, a carpenter for the Briggs Beach Association, said the last time a whale stranded there efforts to drag it away proved fruitless. In the end, a hole was dug next to the carcass and it was rolled in.

In the meantime, the new carcass, rolling in the water beyond the surf line is attracting sightseers -- who move upwind to get away from the stink. The beach officially opens for the summer season Saturday.

"Better now than next week," said Jack Campbell, who has been a lifeguard at the beach for 37 years.