An experienced fisherman of Lano, Savaii, died on Sunday evening after he was attacked by sharks while trying to drag out a dead beached beaked whale into the ocean.
Samoa Observer reports Amoni Malaeulu was pronounced dead on arrival at the Malietoa Tanumafili II hospital at Tuasivi.
The beached Cuvier’s beaked whale was discovered by the villagers of Asaga in the early hours of Saturday morning.
It is not clear how the beached whale ended up on the Lano shores, a village next to Asaga, on Sunday, when Amoni tried to pull it out to sea as it had started to smell.
Photographs and videos of the wounded whale stranded in Asaga went viral on social media and had been reported by local media.
A younger brother of the deceased, Maze Malaeulu, confirmed that the unfortunate incident happened on Sunday evening and has left their family devastated and with so many questions.
He remembered his brother as loving, caring, funny and talented.
On Monday morning, the untitled men from Lano discovered that the dead mammal was on the beach again and were ordered by matai to burn it.
The police outpost in Tuasivi confirmed that they were informed of Malaeulu’s death on Sunday evening by the hospital in Tuasivi, and have launched an investigation.
Photo: Supplied
