A shipwreck off the coast of Sri Lanka's capital has deposited tonnes of plastic rubbish and debris on the beach.

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Kirti Pathak
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Ship wrecked in Sri Lanka

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Officials said Monday that a special Sri Lankan police team has begun probing a fire on a container ship docked near the island's capital, as the government takes legal action against the ship's owners for the event, which has resulted in serious marine pollution.

The MV X-Press Pearl has been engulfed in flames since May 20, devouring the Singapore-flagged ship, which is only approximately five months old, according to officials. The flames are still blazing, but have been reduced to "little spot fires" in the ship's aft, according to the navy.

Meanwhile, wreckage from the burning ship has washed ashore, producing significant pollution on beaches, including several tonnes of plastic pellets used to produce plastic bags. Fishing is prohibited throughout 80 kilometers of the coast, according to the administration.

On May 25, smoke rises from the MV X-Press Pearl, which was engulfed in flames off the coast of Colombo. Following an explosion, the vessel's 25-member crew, which included Filipino, Chinese, Indian, and Russian nationals, was evacuated that day.

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The fire was believed to have been started by chemicals being transported on the ship, according to the navy. It was loaded on May 15 in the Indian port of Hazira with 1,486 containers containing 25 tonnes of nitric acid as well as other chemicals. The majority of the ship's cargo has been destroyed by the fire.

With the help of vessels from the Sri Lankan navy and the Indian coast guard, firefighting tugboats have started spraying the vessel. The debris from the ship has washed ashore on beaches, and Sri Lankan naval soldiers in protective clothing have been rushed in to collect it.

Residents have been urged not to touch the debris because it may be tainted with hazardous substances. A navy officer patrols beside a spilled cargo container from the ship below. As smoke rises from the fire on the ship behind them, villagers shove some cargo that has spilled from the X-Press Pearl.

Chemicals have intermingled with seawater, according to the government's Marine Environment Protection Authority, posing a serious threat to marine creatures and coral reefs. A National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency officer has taken the  samples of items washed up on the beach

Dead fish, turtles, and other marine life have washed ashore in recent days, according to local television stations. A crab frolics on a beach that has been contaminated by the ship's plastic pellets.

 

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