About 230 pilot whales were found stranded on Tasmania’s west coast on Wednesday, just days after the locals on King Island discovered 14 sperm whales in the same region. Photo: CCTV

A rescuer pours water on a stranded whale Wednesday at Ocean Beach, the west coast of Tasmania. Photo: VCG

Rescuers use a sling to move a whale in the water near Ocean Beach on Thursday. Photo: VCG

Rescuers try to save a whale in shallow waters near Ocean Beach. Photo: VCG

Rescuers move a stranded whale to open waters at Macquarie Harbour on the west coast of Tasmania. A total of 32 surviving whales were released into deep water from the harbor as of 6 p.m. Thursday local time, according to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Photo: VCG

A rescue team will try to move three more surviving whales on Friday morning. It is unclear what causes the mass strandings. Two years ago almost 500 long-finned pilot whales were also found stranded in the area, of which 380 were later confirmed dead. Photo: VCG

One of the 14 dead sperm whales found on a beach at King Island in northern Tasmania, Australia, on Tuesday local time. Photo: VCG Photo: VCG