Oil and debris from a container ship on fire off the coast of Sri Lanka have coated beaches on its west coast.
Images of the beach in Negombo, a popular tourist destination, have generated outrage in the country.
The Singapore-registered X-Press Pearl was carrying chemicals and cosmetics, and has been on fire for eight days.
The Sri Lankan navy is working with the Indian navy and salvage experts to try and put it out, amid fears of a major environmental disaster.
If the ship sinks, then hundreds of tonnes of oil could leak into the sea having an adverse impact on marine life.
Rough seas and monsoonal winds are hampering the operation, officials have said.
Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Daya Rathnayake told BBC Sinhala's Ranga Sirilal that the fire had been contained, but they could not get on board the vessel because it was still too hot.
The navy wants to tow the ship into deeper waters, but Mr Rathnayake said that experts first had to assess its structure to see if that would be possible.
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