Overview
- Residents and officials reported the carcass on October 18 at Punta Mero/El Rubio in Canoas de Punta Sal, Contralmirante Villar, Tumbes.
- The specimen was described as roughly 20 to more than 22 meters long, with an estimated weight of about 20 tons, according to the mayor.
- Witnesses noted a deep head wound, with unconfirmed accounts suggesting a vessel propeller strike or a collision with rocks.
- Mayor Jaime Yacila asked authorities to help bury the animal and called for an autopsy, noting it is the region’s second blue whale stranding, with the prior case involving a smaller animal.
- As of the latest reports, IMARPE and the Port Captaincy had not been observed on-site to begin an investigation during the tail end of the July–October whale-watching season.