Major rescue mission launched after mass stranding of dolphins in Cornwall
Watch Kathy Wardle's live report from Mylor Creek
A rescue operation has been carried out to rescue a pod of dolphins after a mass stranding in a Cornish river.
Experts were called after the pod became stranded in Mylor Creek as the tide receded at around 4pm on Wednesday 23 August.
It is believed the mammals had swum up the creek from Falmouth Bay before getting into difficulty in the shallower water.
A team from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) attended the stranding, and the Truro Harbour Master team were also called by concerned local residents.
The divers managed to refloat seven of the dolphins amid muddy conditions, but one dolphin - a young calf - could not be saved and died due to the stress of becoming trapped.
BDMLR has said the stranding was unusual because it is very uncommon for dolphins to become stuck in shallow waters in Cornwall. The Truro Harbour Master also added that in twenty years of working alongside the coast, they had never witnessed a mass stranding before.
In a statement, HM Coastguard added: "[We] provided safety cover and crowd control as British Divers Marine Life Rescue assisted a pod of seven dolphins at Mylor Creek, Cornwall, yesterday (23 August)."