Over 300 seals found dead along Caspian coast of Kazakhstan

Moscow, Apr 9 (UNI) More than 300 seals have died of unspecified reasons on the Caspian coast of Kazakhstan, a spokesperson for the Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry said.

Kazakh Environmental Protection Minister Nurlan Iskakov said if oil companies were found guilty, they would be punished.

'' They could face fines, penalties and the suspension of oil production until reasons for the large number of deaths are ascertained,'' RIA Novosti news agency quoted Mr Isakov as saying.

He said a special commission was investigating the cause of death, which could take another two weeks.

'' There are quite a few dangers in the area, including blowing wells, tectonic fractures with the risk of gas discharges and exploration drilling,'' Mr Isakov said, adding he had already issued instructions to '' prohibit the disposal of waste from drilling on Caspian offshore areas.'' 266 dead seals, more than half of them baby seals, were washed up along the sea shore from 31 March to 8 April from Kalamkas oil field to the Karazhanbas field in western Kazakhstan.

Kalamkas and Karazhanbas are the largest oil deposits in western Kazakhstan, where intensive production has been underway for more than 25 years.

In 2000, some 10,500 seals died allegedly of chronic intoxication on the Caspian coast in western Kazakhstan.

According to experts, they had been absorbing oil toxins and pesticides, which damaged their immune resistance.

UNI