Dead Dolphins Wash Up In Mauritius After Japanese Oil Tanker Spill

This comes after the Japanese ship MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef on 25 July, leading environmental campaign group Greenpeace to call for an investigation into the incident.

Mauritius' environmental consultant Sunil Dowarkasing said: "This is a terrible day. We are seeing these dolphins swim up to the shore in distress and then die.

"We have never seen deaths of these very intelligent marine mammals like this. Never."

As well as those that have washed up on the shore, other dolphins have also died out at sea. Tests will be performed to determine how those that washed up on land actually died, Mr Dowarkasing confirmed.

He told the Associated Press: "I think there are two possibilities: Either they died from tonnes of fuel spilled in the sea, or they were poisoned by the toxic materials on the bow of the ship that was sunk offshore.

"We've been worried about this. The oil spill and sinking of the bow are ruining what had been the best-preserved area of our island."

The Japanese bulk carrier ship was battered around by the seas for days after running aground, before the hull eventually cracked and it started to leak fuel into the surrounding waters on 6 August.

The leak sent a lot of oil into the Mahebourg Lagoon, which then contaminated a protected wetlands area, an area of mangrove swamp, and a small island that is a wildlife and bird sanctuary.

After that, the ship split into two pieces and the bow - which was the smaller of those two pieces - was towed out to sea by another boat, where it was sunk.

The captain of the ship and first officer have since been charged with 'endangering safe navigation'. It is not yet known why the ship was so far off course when it struck the reef.

Happy Khambule, Greenpeace Africa's senior climate and energy campaign manager, said: "This is a deeply sad and alarming day for the people of Mauritius and for its singular biodiversity."

The long term effects of the spill can't yet be fully known, but are likely to affect the area's whales, turtles and birds, and much of its marine life.

Greenpeace Africa, signed a letter to the government, along with its Japanese counterparts and Mauritian human rights organisation Dis Moi, asking for transparency and accountability in the handling of the crisis.

Dis Moi co-ordinator Vijay Naraidoo, said: "The ocean is part of who we are. The whole country including coastal communities depend on its health."