This the dramatic video of a beached whale in Galveston, Texas who died hours after being monitored by a rescue organisation that tried to save it.

Heidi Whitehead of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network said that being so close to the shore meant the whale was very sick and its condition deteriorated rapidly.

According to KTRK, the whale's gender or species has not been released. It was 45 feet long (13.7m) and found 50 yards (45m) from the shore.

Rescuers decided that it would be best for the whale to be put down and TV networks reported how volunteers had struggled to drag the whale to the shore. They attached a strap to the whale's fins and used a chain connected to bulldozers to tow it to the beach.

The strap broke several times but volunteers could eventually get the whale on land.

"It was quite an obstacle to get the animal up on the shore line, trying to fight the waves, trying to stay safe so the animal didn't roll on us," Whitehead said.

Experts will examine the carcass to determine what illness the whale had. It is thought to be very rare for a whale of that size to get stranded.

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