Endangered Dead Sea-Turtles keep washing ashore in Sri Lanka.

COLOMBO (News 1st); On Tuesday (08) afternoon, another sea turtle washed up on Sri Lanka's West Coast, this time close to Colombo City.

"So far, something like 18 of these endangered creatures have washed ashore. But these are only the documented, reported incidents. There could be an untold number of more deaths that go unaccounted for"

According to the Wildlife Conservation Department, EIGHT cases have been filed so far, with regard to the bodies of Turtles that were found washed ashore; facts regarding the discovery of any such turtle carcasses will be reported to court and cases will be filed accordingly, the spokesperson further noted.

The sinking of a fire-damaged container ship, the X-PRESS PEARL loaded with chemicals off Sri Lanka's coast has triggered the "worst marine ecological disaster" the country has ever seen.

The disaster has attributed to the deaths of many other fish and marine creatures, whose bodies had been washing up on the beach.

The government has already banned fishing along about 50 miles (80km) of coastline.

The ship's operator said its stern was resting on the seabed about 21m (70ft) below the surface and the bow was "settling down slowly".

The Singapore-flagged ship's operators, X-Press Feeders, said the blaze destroyed most of the ship's cargo - which included 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals.

But large quantities of plastic pellets had spilled into the sea and environmental groups fear remaining chemicals and hundreds of tons of oil from the fuel tanks could also escape.

Dr. Sampath Seneviratne is the Senior Lecturer at the Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences of the University of Colombo and he says the fumes from the burning X-Press Pearl have a direct impact on species in Sri Lanka’s central hill where the islands most valuable rain forests are located.

The contamination caused by the X-Press Pearl also has a direct impact on Sri Lanka’s marine life, given that 05 of the 07 sea turtles special in the world belong to Sri Lankan waters.

As these concerns mount, Kanchana Wijeseke, a Sri Lankan State Minister has pledged to call for investigations, especially about the dead sea turtles and other marine life washing up on the shores of the island.