Mauritius: 18 whales wash up on shore, minister dismisses oil spill link

On August 26, Fisheries minister of Mauritius said, eighteen melon-headed whales washed up on the shores of Mauritius and commenting on the incident he dismissed any link of the oil spill, which happened earlier this month. According to international media reports when whales reached on shores of south-eastern beaches of Grand Sable, some of them were alive and injured but later they died.

Read: Mauritius Residents Cutting Off Hair To Make Nets And Tubes To Soak Catastrophic Oil Spill

Fisheries minister Sudheer Maudhoo, while speaking to the press said that all 18 of the whales, a member of the dolphin family, had died, but that there was "no trace of hydrocarbons on them or in their respiratory system". On August 26 autopsy report of the giant fishes was carried out.

While talking to the international news agency, local official Preetam Daumoo said locals found the bodies on the shore and they feared that this incident was a result of the recent oil spill. Earlier this month a Japanese bulk carrier ran aground on a coral reef around 10 kilometers from Grand Sable, because of this incident 1000 tonnes of oil spilled into the clear and pristine water. On the other hand, experts said it was too soon to come to a conclusion on this matter.

Read: Mauritius Oil Spill: PM Jugnauth Says Almost All Leaked Fuel Has Been Pumped Out

Mauritius oil spill

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.

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

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.

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