About 140 pilot whales which stranded themselves on a remote stretch of beach in New Zealand have died, an official said yesterday.

But conservation workers and volunteers are hoping the remaining 60 or so will survive after they managed to get them refloated.

The geography of Farewell Spit on South Island seems to work against whales, which regularly become stranded there. The stranding of 198 whales was one of the largest in recent years and prompted 80 workers and volunteers to help out.

It’s very sad, they’re very intelligent animals

By late yesterday, 140 of the whales had died, said Department of Conservation area manager Andrew Lamason.

He said the workers and volunteers toiled throughout the day to keep the surviving whales watered and covered before refloating them at high tide.

“We’ve had a really good crew of volunteers, and people have been wanting to come from all over the country,” Mr Lamason said.

He said the surviving whales had moved to deeper water. But he cautioned that, while hopes for their survival were high, whales had been refloated in the past only to return and get stranded again.

He added that the scale of the stranding has been tough on the helpers, both physically and emotionally.

“It’s very sad, they’re very intelligent animals,” he said.