Members of the Sri Lankan Navy work to remove debris washed ashore from the Singapore-registered container ship MV X-Press Pearl. COLOMBO: Damage to Sri Lanka's marine environment from a sinking chemical ship is worse than feared, officials said on Friday , as more dead turtles, dolphins and whales washed up on the island's beaches.last month before partially sinking off the coast after two weeks ablaze.
"At least six turtle carcasses washed up along the western coast on Thursday alone," a wildlife official told AFP. He said they had also received the first report of a shoal of reef fish dying at Hikkaduwa, a southern tourist resort area known for its rich coral reefs."So far we have collected the carcasses of 115 turtles, 15 dolphins and five whales," the official said, asking not to be named.
They include a blue whale carcass found off the northern Jaffna peninsula, about 400km north of Colombo, last week.READ: Sri Lanka arrests captain over ship fire pollutionThe Singapore-registered ship was known to be carrying 81 containers of hazardous chemicals, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid, when it caught fire.
Around 1,200 tonnes of tiny plastic pellets and other debris that blanketed beaches have been scooped up and are being stored in 45 shipping containers.Local police have launched a criminal probe against the ship's captain, chief engineer, chief officer as well as its local agent.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »