Sydney, Rajab 6, 1439, Mar 23, 2018, SPA -- More than 150 whales were stranded in Western Australia on Friday sparking a beach closure and a shark alert, the Department of Fisheries said. The group of mostly short-finned pilot whales were stranded at Hamelin Bay in Augusta, 315 kilometers south of Perth, it said in a statement. About half of the stranded whales are dead, it said. Authorities also closed all beaches between Hamelin Bay and Boranup until further notice while they manage the strandings. The shark alert was issued due to multiple whale carcasses, dpa quoted the statement as saying. Adult short-finned pilot whales are about five meters long and weigh up to three tons. They are found in most waters across the world. --SPA 14:09 LOCAL TIME 11:09 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w648966