Two days into a rescue operation in Kamchatka, in the Russian Far East, to free a family of whales stranded in the shallows in the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said.

Workers at the Kamchatka rescue center went to the spot where the orcas have been trapped. With the help of volunteers, they are drenching them to prevent them from dehydrating, a spokesman for the center explained in a Telegram post.

This morning the family – two newborn whales and two adults – tried to leave the bay where they are trapped, but were unable to do so.

Workers are now waiting for the tide to turn and hoping the orcas will find a way out to return to the open sea.

The whales could not leave because the passage was too narrow. They are currently within 2km of the “exit” leading to the open sea.

About 30 people are involved in the rescue operation.