BETHANY BEACH, Del. - Chopper 16 was overhead the body of a dead whale floating off the coast of Bethany Beach on Thursday.
The whale, which appears to be a humpback, was seen flipped on its back in the waters near Ocean Ridge on Jan. 8. The whale later washed onto the shore.
The Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute responded to the scene on Thursday afternoon, saying the whale had first been spotted floating about 2 miles off the Indian River Inlet earlier this week.
MERR said the 30-foot whale, a young male humpback, was very bloated. A postmortem necropsy was being organized to determine the cause of death.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.