Beluga whale with calf
More than 100 Beluga whales are trapped in ice in Russian waters. Reuters

More than 100 Beluga whales are currently trapped in the Bering Sea, held in place by thick ice floes, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

The 4 to 6-inch thick ice could prevent the whales from swimming to open waters, the news agency reported.

A group of over 100 Beluga whales are cut off from the sea and are prisoners of ice floes in the Bering Sea, a statement on the website for the Chukotka Autonomous Region read.

Currently, there is a rush to save the trapped Beluga whales.

Local authorities requested that Russia send an icebreaker to help the trapped whales, BBC News reported.

Russia's Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology said it is gathering help from other agencies to take action, according to The AP.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) notes that changes in ice conditions, including ice entrapment, can affect the Beluga whales.

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