Fishing boat catches fire

COLOMBO: An Indonesian-owned fishing vessel caught fire in the sea off Colombo Port yesterday, police and a port official said. Harbour chief Nuwan Jayasinghe said firefighters battled the blaze aboard the Weilai Lanka fishing boat but added that all aboard the vessel were safe.

The Weilai Lanka was about two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the Colombo Port when the fire broke out, police spokesman Rienzie Perera said. The vessel had been leased to a Sri Lankan company and had a Korean captain and Indonesian crew, said Jayasinghe. He said the blaze was probably caused by a gas leak.

AP