Somalia's government has asked the United Nations to investigate reports that last year's tsunami washed toxic waste onto Somalia's shores.

Environment Minister Mohamed Osman Maye said Wednesday that waste containers have come ashore along Somalia's coastline, adding that an increasing number of people have been reporting unusual illnesses.

The U.N. Environment Program said last week that previously dumped containers filled with nuclear, chemical and medical waste broke apart on Somalia's shores during the tsunami.

The United Nations says foreign companies, many from Europe, began dumping toxic waste on Somalia's shore in the 1980s, but the practice accelerated after the government collapsed in 1991.