Oil and debris from a container ship on fire off the coast of Sri Lanka have coated beaches on its west coast.
Sri Lankan Navy soldiers work to remove debris washed ashore from the burning X-Press Pearl on a beach in Colombo on 28 May, 2021. Photo: AFP / Ishara S. Kodikara
Images of the beach in Negombo, a popular tourist destination, have generated outrage in the country.
The Singapore-registered X-Press Pearl was carrying chemicals and cosmetics, and has been on fire for eight days.
The Sri Lankan navy is working with the Indian navy and salvage experts to try and put it out, amid fears of a major environmental disaster.
If the ship sinks, then hundreds of tonnes of oil could leak into the sea having an adverse impact on marine life.
Rough seas and monsoonal winds are hampering the operation, officials have said.
Apart from being a tourist destination, the main occupation for many in Negombo is fishing, which means a larger oil spill would be a double blow to the town.
Although there is already oil coating the beaches, the bigger problem at the moment is debris, mostly comprising tiny plastic pellets. It has now spread to other towns along Sri Lanka's western coastline.
Sri Lanka's Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) chairman Dharshani Lahandapura told the AFP news agency that the crew had known of a nitric acid leak aboard the vessel even before it entered Sri Lankan waters, and the fire could have been avoided if they acted promptly.
Officials have lodged a police complaint against the captain of the ship, who was rescued along with other crew members on Tuesday.
X-Press Shipping - the Singapore based company which owns the vessel - confirmed the crew was aware of the leak, but say they were denied permission by both Qatar and India to leave the ship there before the fire broke out.
Thick smoke billowing from the X-Press Pearl in the sea off Sri Lanka's Colombo Harbour on 25 May, 2021. Photo: SRI LANKA AIR FORCE / AFP
News that Sri Lanka allowed the vessel to enter the country's waters after it was rejected by two other nations has led to anger on social media.
Soldiers have begun clean-up operations on the beaches but if the ship sinks, it will be a much more complex task.
"Our best option is to clean the beach and we suspect any clearing operation will take a few weeks, if not months," Lahandapura was quoted as saying.
She also told local media that officials would begin testing air and water quality amid concerns that the fumes from the ship could have adverse health effects on residents.
-BBC