Angry Mauritians have taken to the streets of the capital Port Louis in protest over the mysterious death of about 40 dolphins.
The carcasses of the dolphins were found in an area where a Japanese ship struck a coral reef in July. The ship had reportedly spilled oil into the ocean making environmentalists and residents put the blame of the deaths on the oil spill.
On Saturday, thousands of protesters demonstrated in the Mauritius capital Port Louis to demand an investigation into the oil spill and the mysterious death of at least 40 dolphins. They called for a probe to know if the dolphins died as a result of the spill caused when the bulk carrier, the MV Wakashio, struck a coral reef in July.
From a hand held banner with a dolphin covered in oil reading “our lives matter” to another calling for the government to resign, Mauritian flags were waved across the packed square of St Louis Cathedral.
The government said it has begun an investigation into the deaths, noting that it conducted autopsies on all the dead dolphins, and a commission has been set up to look into the oil spill.
Meanwhile, experts from ship owner Nagasaki Shipping in France and the United Nations have since arrived at the scene.
The ship’s remaining fuel was pumped out before the vessel finally split in two.