FLORENCE, Ore. -- State officials say a fin whale has been buried at the same beach where it washed ashore during the weekend.

The Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation says Florence-based Leisure Excavating buried the 30-ton carcass in a hole 11-feet deep Monday. The corpse will decompose naturally.

The burial occurred after biologists examined the remains to determine a cause of death. Their findings have not been released.

Heceta Head State Scenic Viewpoint will reopen Tuesday.

The Coast Guard notified marine biologists on Friday afternoon that an injured whale had been spotted near Heceta Head and the Devil’s Elbow beach, north of Florence, officials said.

 Photos: Dead whale | Whale buried

The whale was spotted by a military helicopter about two miles north of the Siuslaw River entrance in Florence, the Coast Guard told KGW.

Jim Rice, a coordinator for the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, flew over the whale Friday and determined it had not been tangled in any gear; rather, “it appeared to be debilitated, swimming parallel to shore and possibly lacking the energy to swim out of the surf zone.”

Photo courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard

The dead whale was about 40 feet long and appeared to be a sei whale.

The fin whale is listed as endangered under U.S. law.

It was observed swimming earlier Sunday, but by mid-afternoon it had died, the Coast Guard said.

Traffic and public safety concerns prompted officials to close Heceta and Devil’s Elbow until the carcass could be protected and disposed of.

According to federal law, it is illegal to tamper with, alter or dispose of a whale carcass.

(AP also contributed to this article.)