Colombo: The carcasses of five dolphins and 31 sea turtles had been found along the western coast of Sri Lanka after the burning of X-Press Pearl cargo ship in the seas off the Colombo Port, Sri Lanka's Department of Wildlife Conservation said. Local media reports, quoting the department, said on Tuesday that the carcasses were found along the coasts from the capital Colombo all the way to Kosgoda in the south.
Director-General of the Wildlife Department Chandana Sooriyabandara said further investigations had been referred to the Government Analyst as per the requirement of tissue sections of the dead turtles. A senior official of the Government Analyst's Department, quoted by local media reports said that samples including relevant tissue fragments were still being received.
The official added that a special team had been attached for a full investigation. The X-Press Pearl ship is registered under the flag of Singapore and was carrying 1,486 containers with 25 tons of nitric acid and several other chemicals and cosmetics from the port of Hazira, India, on May 15.