Tragic video shows group of 13 orcas CAUGHT in huge ice sheet desperately trying to catch their breath

The TRAGIC video appears to show a pod of killer whales poking out of chunks of ice as they desperately try to catch their breath.

At least thirteen killer whales have become seriously trapped in drifting ice off the coast of Hokkaido in the north Japan.

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The grim footage, broadcast by Japanese national broadcaster NHK, showed the whales trapped between a huge sheet of ice near the Shiretoko Peninsula, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its wildlife.

Marien expert Seiichiro Tsuchiya was conducting research in the area when he discovered the affected animals via his drone.

He told the broadcaster: “I saw about thirteen orcas with their heads sticking out of a hole in the ice.

“It looked like they were having trouble breathing, and it looked like there were three or four calves with them.”

Officials in the city said thick ice had made it impossible to get close to the capsule – and they could only watch and hope that the floating ice breaks off allowing the orcas to get out.

“We have no choice but to wait until the ice breaks and they can escape that way,” an official told NHK.

While other large whales can often spend long periods underwater, killer whales can only stay underwater for about 15 minutes under extreme conditions.

But the poor animals have been stuck in drift for more than six hours at this point, the researchers said BNO News.

The sea near the coast of Hokkaido is covered with heavy snow every year during winter.

Officials said the lack of wind recently had worsened the situation as it meant the ice sheets had barely moved.

In 2005, a similar situation claimed the lives of several mammals after they became trapped in thick sheets of ice in Shiretoko.

Dubbed 'the end of the land', the region is the lowest point in the Northern Hemisphere – and the ice sheet can extend as far as 1,000 kilometers as far east Russia.

Orcas – the killer whales

ORCAS are the largest members of the oceanic dolphin family and are the world's most powerful predators

Although they never attack humans, the deadly killers can take down large groups of whales, hence the name killer.

What makes them a unique marine mammal is that they often hunt in deadly packs and family groups of up to forty individuals – feasting on fish, penguins, sea lions – and even seals.

The carnivores can grow up to 10 meters long and weigh up to six tonnes – and are immediately recognizable by their distinctive black and white colour.

With an average lifespan of about 82 years, killer whales can be found from the polar regions to the equator, near cold and coastal areas.