Giant dead whale washes ashore amid Typhoon Surigae in the Philippines

A giant dead whale washed ashore a day before Typhoon Surigae hit the Philippines.

A giant dead whale washed ashore a day before Typhoon Surigae hit the Philippines.

Resident Pablito Caliba and his neighbours found the dead mass of flesh on the shallow part of the water in the coastal town of Llorente, Eastern Samar province on April 17.

Villagers believe it was an omen or sign that the typhoon – which has killed at least three people – was about to cause destruction.

He said: "We were all shocked to see it because we believe that something bad will happen when something strange like this comes out of the ocean.

My family has lived by the coast for generations so we believe this." Typhoon Surigae reached maximum sustained winds of 190 mph (305 kph) at the weekend when it passed by the eastern part of the country.

Forecasters said that Typhoon Surigae, known locally as Typhoon Bising, had weakened on Monday (April 19) while it slowly moved away from the country.