Some 1,500 turtles were abandoned at the country's main airport. Raoul Esperas Some 1,500 turtles were abandoned at the country's main airport. Raoul Esperas Some 1,500 turtles were abandoned at the country's main airport. Raoul Esperas

MANILA -- Authorities found 1,532 live turtles inside 4 pieces of luggage at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday.

The checked-in luggage arrived on board a Philippine Airlines flight from Hong Kong and was abandoned by an unidentified passenger, said Customs district collector Carmelita Talusan.

Higit 1,000 pagong mula Hong Kong na ipupuslit sana sa bansa, nasabat ng Bureau of Customs sa NAIA | via @dzmmPatrol44 pic.twitter.com/OsneEWk4nP — DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) March 3, 2019

The Customs bureau was coordinating with airline and airport officials to identify the passenger and secure surveillance footage, she told ABS-CBN News.

The turtles have an estimated value of P4.5 million, with each worth P400 to P20,000, according to the environment department's wildlife trafficking unit, to which the animals were turned over.

Report from Henry Atuelan, ABS-CBN News; Raoul Esperas