(CNN) More than 300 endangered sea turtles were found dead near the southern coast of Mexico, the country's environmental officials said.

It appears that hundreds of Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) sea turtles died after they became entangled in an illegal fishing net off the coast of La Barra de Colotepec, Mexico's federal agency for environmental protection said Tuesday.

The net has been prohibited in the area, officials said.

The government's special prosecutorial office for crimes against the environment (PROFEPA) and other agencies are working to find those responsible for the incident.

In 1990, a multilateral treaty criminalized killing the protected sea turtles.

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