Fifteen dead seal carcasses have been found on the Caspian Sea coast in Kazakhstan’s Mangystau Region.

Axar.az reports, citing Kazakh media, that the carcasses were discovered on October 12, west of the village of Bautino in the Tupkaragan District, during coastal monitoring by inspectors from the Caspian Seal State Nature Reserve.

“Relevant authorized agencies have been informed of the discovery. Staff from the Mangystau Regional Department of Ecology have collected seawater and soil samples. Cleanup operations will then be organized in compliance with established sanitary requirements,” the statement said.

Monitoring of the coastal area is ongoing. The cause of the seals’ deaths has yet to be determined and will be established following the relevant investigations, the statement added.

The ministry explained that during the spring and autumn, dead seals are sometimes washed ashore along Kazakhstan’s Caspian coast, including in the Mangystau Region, during storms accompanied by northwesterly and westerly winds.