COLOMBO (News 1st): Two Indian crew members of the distressed MV “X-PRESS PEARL” have been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital. An explosion was reported from inside the MV X-PRESS PEARL on Tuesday morning (May 25), and all 25 crew members were evacuated safely out of the vessel, Captain Indika de Silva, the Navy Spokesperson told News 1st. The distressed container ship was manned by a crew of 25, who are Philippine, Chinese, Indian, and Russian nationals. Moreover, Sri Lankan authorities have decided to further move the MV “X-PRESS PEARL” 50 nautical miles away from the Colombo Harbour into deep seas in order to prevent marine environment destruction. In the meantime, several freight containers onboard the distressed MV “X-PRESS PEARL” have fallen to the Sri Lankan waters, the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) said.
