MIRI, May 4 — Firemen and villagers have managed to free the 10m whale stranded on a beach 30km south of Miri.

The Star Online quoted Miri Fire and Rescue Department chief Supt Law Poh Kiong saying the gallant effort to free the whale paid off. "The whale is free. It swam away,” he said.

Earlier Supt Law was alerted to the incident at 7.10am yesterday.

He was quoted as saying: "The whale is still alive. We have a team of personnel there now.

"Together with the villagers, they are trying to help the whale back into the South China Sea.”