Mauritius oil spill: Dead dolphins wash up on shore, more appear to be in distress

In heartbreaking development, at least 14 dolphins have died so far off the Mauritius coast where a Japanese oil tanker crashed last month, spilling over 1,000 tons of fuel.

According to reports, dead dolphins washed up on the coast of Mauritius on Wednesday, August 26. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause behind the death of marine mammals. Media reports suggest that more dolphins were also spotted near the shore and appeared distressed.

Sunil Dowarkasing, a former Mauritian member of parliament, while talking to the press said that "it is a terrible day" as he has never experienced or seen anything like this, adding that dolphins were coming up to the shore in distress and then dying. 

Read: Mauritius Oil Spill: Crew Set To Sink Ship Despite Opposition From Environmentalists

Dowarkasing said that there may be more dead dolphins at the sea. He further suggested two possibilities behind the unfortunate deaths of the dolphins. He said that either the oil spill or the toxic materials that may have been released from the bow of the ship that was towed out to sea and sunk after the vessel broke into two pieces could have caused the mammals to die.

Happy Khambule, Greenpeace Africa’s senior climate and energy campaign manager, while lamenting the death of the dolphins said that the oil spill could impact other marine creatures in the future.

Read: Mauritius Oil Spill: Captain Of Japanese Ship Charged With 'endangering Safe Navigation'

The accident

According to earlier reports, MV Wakashio, a Japanese ship owned by Nagashiki Shipping rammed into a reef off the coast of Mauritius on July 25. The ship was carrying about 3,800 tons of very low sulfur fuel oil and 200 tons of diesel oil from China to Brazil when it broke down near the island. The ship had three oil tanks and one of which is reported to have already started leaking before the vessel split into two pieces on August 15.

Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared the incident an environmental emergency as the spill was close to two protected marine ecosystems and the Blue Bay Marine Park reserve. So far, the captain of the ship has been arrested for endangering the life of marine life in an environmentally protected area.

(With AP Inputs)

Read: Head Of Mauritius Marine Conservation Society On Oil Spill

Read: India Sends Chetak Helicopter To Mauritius To Help Contain Oil Spill