Mysterious liquid claims lives of Sri Lankan fishermen
Tragedy off the coast of Sri Lanka. Five fishermen have died, and one is in critical condition after drinking a mysterious liquid from bottles they found in the ocean. The men thought they were drinking alcohol. The number of victims may increase because the fishermen distributed some bottles.
According to the BBC, citing local media, Sri Lankan fishermen who were sailing on the Devon trawler were spotted drifting bottles in the water about 595 kilometres from Tangalle, a city on the southern coast of Sri Lanka.
The men were convinced they had found bottles of alcohol. They drank the contents of some bottles and distributed the remaining ones to other crews passing by. It quickly became evident that the fishermen paid for their fatal mistake with their lives.
Two days ago, BBC reported that after consuming the mysterious drink, four fishermen had died, and the condition of the two surviving men was critical. Unfortunately, the latest information indicates that the death toll has risen to five. Another person died on board a container ship that arrived to help.
Mysterious death of the fishermen. What was in the bottles?
It is still unknown what was in the mysterious bottles. Local authorities are examining their contents. Authorities are also trying to locate and warn people who received the bottles with the poisonous contents as gifts.
According to BBC, protests were held in Tangalle in response to the incident, during which calls were made for the surviving fishermen to return to land. The Navy assures that it is doing everything possible to prevent further tragedies.
