A humpback whale that spent Saturday tumbling in the surf off the coast near Yachats, tangled in fishing gear, washed ashore alive in the evening and was still reported alive early Sunday, according to posts on social media.

Earlier in the day, spectators described what they believed was a dead whale slowly rolling toward shore. But by Saturday evening, accounts of a live humpback stranded on the beach head spread quickly across Facebook and Reddit, prompting people from around Oregon to drive to the shoreline in an impromptu rescue effort.

Photos and videos show a crowd gathered near the whale with phone flashlights, lanterns, blankets, shovels and wetsuits early Sunday as people poured buckets of seawater over the animal. Multiple people on the scene alleged a bystander had managed

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