About 300 sea turtles were found floating dead off Mexico's southern Pacific coast after they were trapped in an abandoned illegal fishing net.
The office for environmental protection says the Olive Ridley turtles drowned after getting caught in the net.
The Coordinator for Civil Protection in San Pedro Mixtepec, Jose Antonio Ramirez Garcia told the Associated Press that the net could have been cast by a tuna fishing ship.
They had been trapped in a 120 metres-long net that is not approved for fishing.
Experts suspect asphyxiation, toxic algae or hooks attached to the net could have killed the animals.
The cause of the deaths is still under investigation.
The turtles were buried on the beach, and officials were also investigating who set the net.
Mexico has imposed criminal penalties for anyone found guilty of killing sea turtles, and the government's special prosecutorial office for crimes against the environment was leading the probe.
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