Sri Lanka: Dead turtles found along shoreline, authorities suspect underwater explosion

In a period of three days, around 20 turtle carcasses have been found on the beach between Negombo and Kalutara on the western coast of Sri Lanka. According to the Senior Department of Wildlife Conservation officials, the carcasses have been found in the Kapungoda, Pamunugama, Muthurajawela Marsh, and Induruwa sea areas, a Sri Lanka-based Daily Mirror. 

After this incident, the Wildlife Department began with a thorough inquiry into the discovery of numerous turtle carcasses in light of the current circumstances. Further, the Sri Lankan Wildlife Department added that the turtle might have died as a result of an undersea explosion. 

20 turtle carcasses washed up at Sri Lanka beach 

The Colombo Fort Magistrate has asked the department to perform post-mortem probes on the dead turtles and provide a thorough report to the court in reaction to the circumstances. After the preliminary investigation, the  National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) shared that all of the dead turtles were of the same species and size. Further, Water samples from the aforementioned maritime locations would also be taken for testing, as per the NARA report.  

According to one of the NARA officials, “This analysis aims to determine whether any contaminants or adverse conditions in the ocean water have had an impact on the turtles, potentially contributing to their deaths,” reported Daily Mirror.  

Notably, this is not the first time that such carcasses of turtles have been washed up on the Sri Lankan shore. In 2021, around 100 carcasses of turtles with throat and shell damage, as well as a dozen dead dolphins and a blue whale, have washed ashore in Sri Lanka. During that time, a container ship was burned and sank which led to the fears of a severe marine disaster.

Of more than 100 dead marine animals in Sri Lanka, ecologists have believed that the deaths were caused by the fire and the release of hazardous chemicals while the Singapore-flagged X-Press Pearl burned for 12 days. Later, the ship sank near Sri Lanka’s main port in the capital Colombo. The fire started on the ship on May 20 and dead marine species started washing ashore days later.