CID concludes initial inquiries into ‘X-Press Pearl’ fire
June 1, 2021 03:39 pm
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has completed the initial inquiries and the recording of statements regarding the complaint filed on the fire on the container ship ‘X-Press Pearl’.
The CID yesterday (May 31) recorded statements from the Captain, Chief Engineer, and the Deputy Chief Engineer of the ship.
Reportedly, the Captain of the vessel was interrogated for nearly 14 hours while the Chief Engineer and the Deputy Chief Engineer were grilled for 13 and 12 hours respectively.
The CID has recorded statements from 07 members of the ship’s crew so far.
The collated facts regarding the incident will be promptly presented to the court, Police said.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Navy said that no fire or oil spill has been observed from the fire-ravaged ship so far.
However, as smoke is observed from the middle of the ship, cooling procedures are carried out continuously.
With the public rejecting fish consumption due to the ‘X-Press Pearl’ incident, fishermen of Negombo cooked and consumed the fish brought ashore today (June 01) to show that there is no harm in eating cooked fish.
