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After a batch of toxins sank, turtles, dolphins and whales are washing away in Sri Lanka


In late May, Sri Lankan navy personnel were clearing debris and chemical particles that washed ashore from the burning cargo ship MV X-Press Pearl from Ouattara Beach to Negombo, a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photo: Pushpa Kumara/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

  • After a ship caught fire in May, hundreds of Dead Sea creatures washed up the coast of Sri Lanka.
  • The ship contained toxic chemicals and sank in early June.
  • The Minister of Environment of Sri Lanka stated that marine species “will never die this way” during this period.
  • Visit Business Insider SA’s homepage for more stories.

Government officials said in court that after a cargo ship carrying toxic chemicals sank off the coast of Colombo, the corpses of 176 turtles, 20 dolphins and four whales washed up the coast of Sri Lanka.

Deputy Attorney General Madawa Tennakoon said that the toxins released by the MV X-Press Pearl that caught fire on May 20 and sank on June 2 killed marine life. Reuters reported. This shipwreck is known as one of the worst environmental disasters in Sri Lanka’s history.

The 610-foot X-Press Pearl is loaded with more than 1,000 containers, including 25 metric tons of nitric acid for fertilizers and explosives, and 350 metric tons of fuel.

It also has 78 tons of plastic pellets Known as nudles on ships, it can absorb toxins and is often mistaken for food by marine species. Salvage personnel and soldiers are still removing billions of these particles from the coast of Sri Lanka-these particles could be fatal to animals if consumed.

Thousands of locals rely on fishing for income, banned In this area, oil, shipwrecks and toxins spilled into the ocean.

According to Reuters, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera told reporters that most of the dead marine life on the coast is directly related to these chemicals. “During the southwest monsoon season, marine life will never die this way,” he said.

It is believed that X-Press Pearl caught fire due to a leak of nitric acid in one of the containers, which was marked by the crew before entering Sri Lankan waters. New York Times. Its Singapore operator X-Press Feeders stated that the ship was rejected by ports in India and Qatar when it tried to unload the leaked container.

Fifteen people, Including the Russian captain of the ship, Accused of violating Sri Lanka’s Marine Pollution Prevention and Control Law and facing civil pollution lawsuits Damage caused by shipwreck.





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