A Fin whale which washed up on a UK beach had suffered a punctured lung after being hit by a ship, it has now been confirmed.
Police and Ocean authorities worked together to remove the carcass from the water's edge in Holland-on-Sea, Essex, on Friday as people flocked to the beach.
The juvenile Fin whale's cause of death has now been revealed in an update from British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
Before the whale was removed from the beach the Big Blue Ocean Cleanup examined the body and confirmed it had been hit by a commercial ship whilst out at sea.
The impact caused a bone to puncture the animal's lungs, which lead to its death, Essex Live reports.
Police, members of Tendring Council, coastguards and Teams from the ocean charity Big Blue Ocean Cleanup all attended the scene.
A police cordon was in place near King's Parade throughout most of Friday while authorities worked together to establish how they would remove the whale.
The beach was closed for four miles between Holland-on-Sea and Jaywick to ensure members of the public were not at risk of infection, as The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDLMR) warned may be the case if people came into contact with it.
In a statement, the BDMLR said: "The animal was already dead when found, BDMLR Medics attended only to gather photographs and other details on its condition that will be passed to our colleagues at the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme - UK strandings.
"We believe it is a fin whale and is approximately 40ft long, which is rather small for this species as they can grow to over 70ft, and therefore this animal is a juvenile.
"Removal of the carcass is the responsibility of the beach owner. In the meantime, we strongly advise people avoid going near it as there is a risk of contracting an infection from contact with its bodily fluids or the body itself."
On Saturday authorities worked together to remove the Whale carcass as safely and quickly as possible.
Witnesses described seeing sections of the carcass being put into containers, a police cordon remained in place while the animal was removed.
On Monday, Tendring District Council issued an update on the tragic incident.
A spokesman said: "The whale was successfully removed by 3pm on Saturday, the beach cleaned and the cordon removed.
"We have no further updates at this time. We hope to have some information from the zoologist who took samples later on this week, as a matter of interest, but overall our involvement is now cleared."
