Plastics from Burning Ship Cover Sri Lanka Beach

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA - Tons 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 harbor, heightening fears that it could break up spilling its 278 tons 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 kilometers north of the capital. The plastic-covered beach, normally a draw for tourists and known as a fishing center, was declared off limits. The smoking container ship could be seen on the horizon.