Hundreds of dead marine animals washed up onshore in Russia’s Far East region of Kamchatka this month in what environmentalists call an ecological disaster.
While the cause of the disaster is still unknown, Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case into pollution.
Senior scientists told The Moscow Times that the mass die-off may be the result of toxins emitted by rapid algae bloom caused by climate change.
Scientists say that almost 95% of all sea-bed marine life in the Avacha Bay has been completely wiped out by the mysterious tragedy.
No matter the cause, the event sparked a public outcry as Russians begin to wake up to the harmful effects of climate change.