Fire-Ravaged Ship killed numerous sea creatures: Sri Lanka

Authorities reported Thursday that a cargo ship that burned for over two weeks off the coast of Sri Lanka had killed dozens of turtles and dolphins due to high heat and chemical poisoning.

The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl has been largely buried off the coast of the island country since early June after an onboard fire spilt tonnes of plastic raw materials that flooded local beaches.

Wildlife officials said that 48 dead turtles and eight dolphins, as well as a substantial majority of small fish, had washed up on the country's western and southern beaches in recent weeks.

"Seeing photos of dead turtles and dolphins is really sad for our people," Anil Jasinghe, Secretary of the Environment Ministry, told reporters in Colombo.

"The carcasses that swept up immediately after the fire bore evident indications of burns from the ship's tremendous heat."

Furthermore, the initial reports, as per Jasinghe, showed that chemical poisoning was to blame for more recent finds of lifeless turtles. He said that autopsies were being performed to determine the reasons for death.

Also, the authorities were looking into the death of a 30-foot (nine-metre) blue whale off the coast of Jaffna, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of Colombo.

According to the officials, the whale washed up on the islet of Kayts on Tuesday. When the ship caught fire, it was carrying 81 containers of dangerous chemicals, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid.

According to officials, over 1,200 tonnes of plastic pellets and other trash collected from beaches are being kept in 45 shipping containers.

Moreover, they have expressed concern about the impact of microplastic contamination from the nation's "worst maritime disaster."

Reportedly, Sri Lanka is claiming $40 million from the ship's operators, X-Press Feeders, for the damages.

The government and X-Press Feeders are being sued by environmentalists for allegedly neglecting to avoid the tragedy.

Sri Lankan authorities have initiated a criminal investigation into the captain, chief engineer, and chief officer of the ship.