On June 25, there was an unusual sight on the Revdanda coast near Alibag, 100-km south of Mumbai. A 40-foot-long blue whale weighing nearly 20-tonne washed ashore. To avoid the acrid smell of the dead mammal, the authorities decided to bury the carcass by the beach. But did you know if the whale wasn’t buried on time, it could have exploded?

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In 2013, in the Faroe Islands, the corpse of a whale exploded from the natural build-up of gas in its body. Nobody was harmed, though foul-smelling whale entrails and blood, covered the surroundings. According to an article in National Geographic, methane starts to build in the bodies of dead whales as they decompose. If people try to move it or cut it open, it could explode.

In Alibag, the whale was buried quickly. If the carcass was left stranded in the sun for days, this whale could have exploded too.