The Sri Lankan government has confirmed that as many as 176 turtles, 20 dolphins and 4 whales have died and washed ashore on the country’s b...
The Sri Lankan government has confirmed that as many as 176 turtles, 20 dolphins and 4 whales have died and washed ashore on the country’s beaches till July 7 as a result of the burning of the X-Press Pearl container ship in May.
Sri Lanka’s Ports and Shipping Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena told
Parliament that the Government Analyst and Veterinary Research Institute was
conducting investigations to determine the cause of the marine animals’ death,
reports Xinhua news agency.
Wildlife department officials said the dead marine animals had washed
ashore on beaches from the southern to the western coast of the country in recent
weeks.
The Singapore-flagged X-Press Pearl ship was carrying 1,486 containers
with 25 tonnes of nitric acid and several other chemicals and cosmetics from
the port of Hazira, India on May 15. The vessel sent out a distress call near the
Colombo Port on May 20, and soon caught fire.
Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority said the burning of
the vessel has caused a huge environmental disaster as beaches were damaged due
to the debris which washed ashore.
A criminal probe is underway to find out what caused the fire on board
the container ship.
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