Some 72 pilot whales and 30 bottle nose dolphins died at Sea Elephant Bay on King Island, in the Bass Strait between mainland Australia and the southern island of Tasmania.

Warwick Brennan, a spokesman for Tasmania state's Department of Primary Industry, Water and Environment, said another group of up to 50 whales and dolphins were believed to be still alive just offshore.

A whale rescue team was headed to the area, he said.

"The local community, who first found the animals, they have been doing a lot of work over there with the animals," he said.

"We will continue to work with the local community as well. When you have a lot of animals like this involved, you need all the help you can."

Brennan said it was too early to determine the chances of saving the remaining animals or to know exactly how many were stranded or dead.

"We will be assessing how many animals are alive, their health, the weather conditions," he said. "Once we get there we can assess the situation and make plans."

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