The dead body of a 12-foot-long whale has washed ashore on Buckroe Beach in Hampton.

The Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team says a motorist driving by the beach Sunday spotted the body and called authorities.

It took about 14 people to lift the whale's body onto a truck. It's being taken to the Virginia Aquarium, where examiners will attempt to determine the cause of death.

Members of the response team say the whale may have died as recently as Saturday based on the condition of its body.

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