The government has warned fishermen not to work in the area due to the burning ship anchored near the port of Colombo, and has warned fishermen not to eat fish harvested in the area. Negombo Citizens’ Union states that it has collapsed.
They say that the Singapore-owned Express Pearl, which is still burning near the Colombo harbour, is causing an unspeakable environmental damage due to the chemicals that have been dumped into the sea.
The seawater has become stagnant and the sea breeze is emitting an unprecedented amount of debris that is accumulating on the beach, making it difficult to clean. The Negombo Citizens’ Union said in a statement that it could be seen that the material remained.
The announcement to further reads:
