176 turtles, 4 whales and 20 dolphins died up to July 7: Minister

It was revealed in Parliament that 176 turtles, four whales and 20 dolphins have died and washed ashore up to July 7 as a result of the X-Press Pearl tragedy. 

Ports and Shipping Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena told Parliament that the Government Analyst and Veterinary Research Institute are conducting investigations to ascertain the cause of the deaths.

He said this in response to a question raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa about the number of turtles,whales and dolphins killed due to the impact of the fire-gutted vessel.(Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)