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An explosion was reported on a container ship off the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday, days after a fire broke out on the vessel, which is carrying 25 tonnes of nitric acid. Black smoke poured from the Singapore-flagged X Press Pearl. The fire first broke out on Thursday, May 20, before the situation deteriorated. Singapore’s Daily Mirror reported that all 25 crew were evacuated and that two had been hospitalised with injuries. The explosion sent several containers into the sea, the Mirror said. Sri Lankan authorities expanded operations to put out a fire on a burning container ship off the coast of Colombo on Tuesday. All crew were evacuated from the vessel after a fire onboard intensified and injured two crew members, a spokesman for Sri Lankan Navy said. The MV X-Press Pearl, a container vessel sailing with a Singaporean flag and carrying cosmetics and chemicals including 25 tonnes of nitric acid, was anchored off the Colombo harbour when a container caught fire on Friday (May 21), officials said. An explosion was reported from within the vessel on Tuesday, Navy spokesman Indika De Silva said, adding that an air force helicopter was using dry chemical powder to douse the fire. Sri Lankan authorities said experts from Netherlands and Belgium were surveying the vessel, while neighbour India had promised to send a coast guard vessel, an aircraft and a “water lily“ boat to assist in firefighting operations. Sri Lanka's shipping minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena said that a special Dutch flight with vital equipment to contain the fire was expected to soon reach Sri Lanka. The vessel had left the Hazira port in India on May 15 and was on its way to Singapore via Colombo. From Brexit breaking news to HD movie trailers, The Sun newspaper brings you the latest news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world. Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know Read The Sun: Like The Sun on Facebook: Follow The Sun on Twitter: Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat:
