A fishman was checking his nets near an island off Kampot province on Wednesday when he found an 11-metre-long dead whale.

Sar Sarin, chief of the provin­cial fisheries administration, said the whale, which weighed about five tonnes, was only the second to be found in Cambo­dian waters since the 1960s.

“Our experts went to see the dead whale, but we do not know yet if it is a male or female,” he said, adding that the whale carcass would be buried on Koh Ses island, near where it was found.

Teuk Chhou district police chief Prom Theat said the whale died after it was trapped in the net and drowned.

He said the fisherman took the whale’s jawbone to make traditional medicine.

To contact the reporter on this story: Phak Seangly at [email protected]