Oil not found in dead Mauritius dolphins - preliminary autopsy

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The cause of death of 25 dolphins who washed up in Mauritius near the site of an oil spill remains unclear after two of the animals showed no trace of oil in their bodies, a preliminary autopsy report showed on Thursday.

"The preliminary results show that the animals did not have trace of hydrocarbon in their respiratory system, nor in their skin, throat or stomach," the report read.

Only two of the dolphins had been examined so far, the report obtained by Reuters showed. Some washed ashore on Wednesday and more were found on Thursday, near the site of an oil spill caused by a Japanese ship that struck a coral reef last month.

(Reporting by Giulia Paravicini; Editing by Katharine Houreld and Hugh Lawson)