The most horrific destruction of the beach in photo history! Sri Lankan coast is filled with tons of plastic from a burning ship

The AFP agency reported this on Saturday by quoting a local representative of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Local beaches and shallow water fishes are threatened by small polyethylene granules and pieces of burnt plastic, which hundreds of sailors and fishermen are now trying to collect with dredgers and shovels. The AFP said that researchers have begun evaluating the impact of environmental disaster on mangroves, lagoons and marine organisms.

The Negombo Lagoon, known for its crabs and shrimp, is separated from the rest of the ocean by plastic barriers in the event of an oil leak starting from the X-Press Pearl container ship.

Source: Sita / AP Photo / Eranga Jayawardene

The Sri Lankan Marine Conservation Authority (MEPA) has stated that microplastic pollution could be an environmental burden for an island in the Indian Ocean in the coming years. “This is probably the worst beach pollution in our history,” MEPA President Dharshani Lhandapura said.

Source: Sita / AP Photo / Eranga Jayawardene

Fishing has been banned on an 80-kilometer beach near a wrecked ship that has been burning for 10 days, despite the intervention of firefighters. The international rescue operation off the coast of Sri Lanka is being led by the Dutch company SMIT, which sent special fire tugs there. In return, India sent Coast Guard ships to help the Sri Lankan Navy.

Source: Sita / AP Photo / Eranga Jayawardene

Local officials said a large portion of the ship’s cargo was destroyed in the fire, which included 25 tons of nitric acid, sodium hydroxide, lubricants and other chemicals. The X-Press Pearl began to burn as it waited to enter the port of Colombo and sank into the sea about 14 kilometers from the coast.