Lanka to rescue crew of Jordanian ship from north
Sri Lanka's military will mount an operation to rescue the crew of a Jordanian ship which drifted into waters near a Tamil Tiger stronghold, truce monitors said yesterday, the latest flashpoint in renewed fighting in the island.
The ship carrying a cargo of rice drifted off the Mullaittivu coast in the island's war-torn northeast early on Saturday after mechanical failure.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam earlier said the 25 crew of the Farah III were safe and that they were trying to arrange for their return through the International Red Cross.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. But the Sri Lankan military accused the Tamil Tigers of forcibly boarding the vessel while it was drifting in the seas, with its cargo of 14,000 tonnes of rice bound for South Africa from India.