Stranded whale on Germany's Baltic coast remains stuck

Concerns continue for a whale stranded on the Baltic Sea coast in northern Germany, as efforts to guide the animal back into deeper water have so far failed, authorities said on Tuesday.

A police spokesman said the high tide around midnight (2300 GMT on Monday) was not enough for the roughly 10-metre whale to free itself.

The animal was first spotted early on Monday near Niendorf, which is part of the municipality of Timmendorfer Strand in Lübeck Bay. Rescue teams had been attempting to free it from a sandbank since midday, using police boats, inflatable craft, drones and support from volunteers and experts.

The reason the whale ended up in the shallow waters is unclear. Stephanie Gross from the Hanover-based Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) said the whale's may have become stuck because it was sick, injured, exhausted, or simply unlucky.

Marine conservation group Sea Shepherd said the animal is a humpback whale, likely a young male on its migration. The group believes it may be the same whale repeatedly sighted in the area in March.