After a 20-hour rescue mission, a 65-foot whale that washed up on a beach in China was finally pulled back into the water.

Recently, a giant whale got stuck in Ningbo city, south of Shanghai.

It is feared that if not placed back in the water immediately, it will die of dehydration.

Despite the fact that whales breathe oxygen just like land animals, they still need water to avoid overheating.

Stranded whales are also at risk of collapsing due to their weight or drowning if their blowhole is covered by high tides.

Firefighters sent a rescue team to spray water on the whale’s 20-meter-tall body and build a seawater pool to keep it alive.

Volunteers assisted with the whale’s movements, estimating the whale’s weight.

The whale was dragged to shallow water after the team tied it with side ropes.

A tugboat was deployed to help move the whale further out to sea as the tide peaked around 10pm.

The whale was released into deep waters after the rescue team broke the whale’s rope at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Local media documented the rescue operations of the organizations as well as the successful release of the creators.

As dawn broke after the dramatic rescue operation, the whale could be seen swimming off into the distance.