Fire on oil tanker off Sri Lanka under control, ship towed to safety
Fire on oil tanker off Sri Lanka under control, ship towed to safety

The fire on a large oil tanker off Sri Lanka's coast has been brought under control but is still not extinguished, the navy said Saturday.

Four tug boats, three Sri Lankan navy ships and four Indian ships have been battling the fire on the MT New Diamond since Thursday.

Two more Indian ships joined the effort Saturday evening.

The tanker, carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil, was drifting about 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) from Sri Lanka's eastern coast.