Pod of orcas trapped by thick sea ice off northern Japan, drone footage shows

A pod of at least 10 orcas are trapped by sea ice off the coast of northern Japan, drone footage from Tuesday morning shows.

The video, released by local wildlife organization Wildlife Pro, showed the killer whales struggling with their heads above the frozen waters off Hokkaido, Japan. 

Local officials told public broadcaster NHK that the coast guard is unable to rescue the whales because the surrounding ice is too thick, BBC News reported. 

According to local media, nine orcas died in 2005 after getting stuck in drift ice in the same area, BBC reported.