TAIPEI (Jan 29) - The decomposing remains of a 66-ton sperm whale
exploded on a busy Taiwan street, showering nearby cars and shops with
blood and organs and stopping traffic for hours, local newspapers
said.

The 56-foot dead whale had been on a truck headed for an autopsy at a
university earlier this week, when gases from internal decay caused
its entrails to explode in the southern city of Tainan.

The whale had died after it was beached on the southwestern coast of
the island.

01/29/04 07:09 ET