Sea turtles dying along Bangladesh coast

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Feb 5 (Reuters) More than 200 turtles, some weighing 20 kg (44 pounds) or more, have died in the Bay of Bengal along the Bangladesh coast over the past week, government officials and witnesses said today.

''Around 140 turtles were found dead along a 4-km stretch of the beach,'' Mohammad Aminul Islam, deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar district, said.

He said more turtles were dying on the shores of St. Martin island, 35 km off the country's southeastern tip, Teknaf.

Fishermen have reported that some dolphins have also died.

No one seems to know why the sea creatures are dying.

Islam said he believed the turtles died after being caught in fishing nets. But fishermen said they did not catch that many turtles to begin with, and when they do, they throw them back into the water.

Marine officials said the deaths could be caused by increased pollution in the bay, from waste disposal of ships or perhaps other unknown natural causes.

Bangladesh has a 90-km natural beach from Cox's Bazar to Teknaf,which is poorly maintained and monitored.

REUTERS DKA HT1437