Plastic pellets from sunken Liberian ship found in coastal areas of Rameswaram
More than 20 bags containing plastic pellets and other unidentified materials were found in the 12-km stretch of coastal areas of Dhanushkodi, Arichalmunai and near Kothandaramaswamy temple here on Monday. They were similar to the nurdles which were found in the coastal areas of Kanniyakumari about a week ago,
Police sources believe that the bags must have been washed ashore from the Liberian container ship MSC Elsa 3, that sank off the Kochi coast on May 25.
Containers and cargo from the ship initially washed ashore along Kerala's coastline, but strong winds and ocean currents soon carried them to the waters of Kanyakumari and other areas.
Police said they found 23 such bags filled with plastic pellets in the coastal stretch, but they believe that many more could reach the shore in the coming days.
As few of the bags were damaged, the plastic pellets got scattered around the area.
The revenue administration has warned against handling the bags and pellets, cautioning fisherfolk and tourists due to uncertainty over the chemical properties of the materials.
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