The tragic news that the humpback whale swimming in Montreal had been found dead hit hard for many, and a picture of how it ended up that way has started to emerge.

Researchers headed out to the site of where the beached carcass was found yesterday in the St. Lawrence River just east of Montreal, near Varennes.

The carcass was towed to Ste-Anne-De-Sorel where an initial necropsy was performed.

#NEW A team of veterinarians is currently performing a necropsy on the whale in Ste-Anne-De-Sorel to determine what happened to it.

The lead veterinarian, Stephane Lair, is expected to address the media at 1pm. pic.twitter.com/LV4yjXrSgg

— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) June 10, 2020

Preliminary reports suggest that the whale may have died as a result of a collision with a boat.

Update: Researchers who took part in the necropsy of a humpback whale found dead near Montreal have just spoken to reporters. They say preliminary results suggest it was hit by a boat or ship in the St. Lawrence River, and the crew may not have noticed. (Verity Stevenson/CBC) pic.twitter.com/X10i2iSvnk

— CBC News Alerts (@CBCAlerts) June 10, 2020

The whale is reported to be female aged 2 to 3 years old. She made her way south almost 500 kilometres from near Quebec City to have some splashy fun in Montreal's Old Port.

the whale seen in montreal passed away and it made me so sad to find out it was due to an injury from a boat (that hit it). he deserved better

— elisa (@SPlDEYPOTTER) June 10, 2020

The first sighting of its kind, researchers observed her to be in good health, displaying typical behaviours like diving and breaching.

At least one expert has suggested that a trail of parasite may have contributed to disorienting the whale.