279 dead seals washed up on Caspian Sea coast
Bodies of multiple seals were found in Tupkaragan district in Mangistau region of Kazakhstan, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to head of the Tupkaragan fish protection regional department, Konarbay Bazarbayev, seals have been washed ashore since April.
117 dead seals were found last week, and 59 more last weekend. All were cleared from the coast. As of today, the death toll of seals has already risen to 279.
The cause of the mass die-off is yet to be determined. The locale experts failed to establish the root cause of the death of seals. Though some seals were found entrapped in fishing nets.
Most of the washed-up seals were heavily decomposed, making it impossible to take samples for laboratory research.
Recall that almost 2,000 dead seals were found along the Caspian Sea coast in Mangistau region last November.