A 16.6 metre-long whale has died in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian after being washed up on La Concha beach.

Members of Ambar, a marine life protection organization, arrived at the scene to try to save the beached razorback whale but the it died late yesterday morning.

Newspaper Diario Vasco reported it weighed between 8 to 10 tonnes - half of what it should normally weigh, indicating the whale was ill.

The news of a beached whale in the bay of the Basque city of San Sebastian attracted many people who looked on in astonishment as attempts were made to rescue the animal.

The cause of the whale's death is yet to be determined.

Razorback whales are also known as fin whales and are the second largest living mammals in the world.

They are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an endangered species.