Plastics from burning ship cover Sri Lanka beach

Sri Lankan navy members remove debris washed off to a beach from the MV X-Press Pearl container ship which caught fire off the Colombo Harbour, on a beach in Ja-Ela, Sri Lanka

Tonnes of charred plastic pellets from a burning container ship washed ashore near Sri Lanka's capital Friday as an international effort to salvage the vessel dragged into a ninth day. Thick black smoke rose from the Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, anchored just outside Colombo harbour, heightening fears that it could break up spilling its 278 tonnes of bunker oil. Navy personnel in hazmat suits were sent to clean millions of plastic granules mixed with burned oil and other residue that covered Negombo beach, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the capital. The plastic-covered beach, normally a draw for tourists and known as a fishing centre, was declared off limits. The smoking container ship could be seen on the horizon.