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More dead turtles found washed ashore in Ampara

20 Jun, 2021

By Farook Sihan

More dead turtles have been found washed ashore in the Ampara District in the Eastern Province.

The turtles are believed to have died as a result of the fire on the ship MV X-Press Pearl.

Three turtles were found dead in Periya Nilavanai in the Ampara District yesterday (Saturday).

Over 40 turtles and at least 5 dolphins have been found dead since the fire on the ship last month.

The MV X-Press Pearl caught fire in Sri Lankan waters last month while being anchored near the Colombo harbour.

Several containers on the ship fell into the sea polluting the water and resulting in large amounts of debris being washed ashore.

The ship eventually sank after the fire lasted for several days resulting in further damage to the marine environment.

The United Nations (UN) is to submit a report on the impact to the environment in Sri Lanka as a result of the MV X-Press Pearl disaster.

A UN team of oil spill and chemical experts, provided by the European Union (EU), is working with the Sri Lankan Government to assess the impact on the environment caused by the MV X-press Pearl disaster.

The team from the UN, France and Italy is a collaboration between the humanitarian arm of the European Union (EU ECHO/ERCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) / Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Joint Environment Unit.

An independent UN report on the incident will be produced with key findings and recommendations on short-term response measures and longer-term recovery planning and submitted to the Government. (Colombo Gazette)

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