Uproar in Mauritius over oil spill, dozens dead dolphins

Thousands of Mauritians protested on Saturday in the capital Port Louis over the government’s handling of an oil spill from a grounded Japanese ship resulting in dozens of dead dolphins and an environmental disaster.

The march through Port Louis brought in protesters from other key towns a month after the ship struck a coral reef offshore and later cracked and spilled around 1,000 tons of fuel oil into fragile marine areas.Given the Mauritius dependence on tourism, the spill has been a severe blow on top of the corona-virus pandemic, which has limited international travel.

Residents and environmentalists have demanded investigations into why the ship strayed miles off course. Its captain and first officer have been arrested and charged with “endangering safe navigation.” The ship’s remaining fuel was pumped out before the vessel split in two.