A pod of dolphins has died after becoming stranded in a Cornish river, leaving a "horrible scene of carnage with bodies everywhere".

An RNLI lifeboat crew was called to Percuil River, near Falmouth, and helped five dolphins reach deeper water, but many more have died and attempts to save the few remaining are unlikely to be successful.

Helmsman Dave Nicoll said: "It's a horrible scene of carnage with bodies everywhere, but we are doing our best to help and will continue to support the expert groups."