A fire broke out in a section of the Hambantota Port premises on Saturday night, Hiru News reported in a filing published shortly after midnight.
Port sources told the broadcaster that the cause of the fire had not been determined at the time of reporting.
Footage published with the report shows flames and heavy white smoke rising in an open yard at the facility, beyond long rows of parked vehicles. The ground in the frame is wet, consistent with the unsettled weather that has brought sustained rainfall across much of the island this week. LankaNewz has not independently verified the location shown in the footage, and the written report does not identify which part of the port was affected beyond describing it as a section of the premises.
Not reported. The filing does not state whether anyone was injured, what was destroyed or damaged, how large the fire was, what firefighting resources were deployed, whether it had been brought under control, or whether port operations were disrupted. No official statement from the Hambantota International Port Group or the Sri Lanka Ports Authority had been issued at the time of writing.
Hambantota is Sri Lanka’s second-largest port and its principal vehicle-handling and transshipment facility, operating extensive open storage yards. LankaNewz reported in July that Sri Lanka Customs was preparing to auction more than 1,000 vehicles left uncleared at the port as importers balked at detention fees. No filing connects the fire to any particular consignment or stockpile.
This report rests on a single source. The fire was reported at roughly 12.45 a.m. Colombo time, and no other verified newsroom had filed on the incident at the time of publication — Sri Lankan newsrooms generally resume publishing after 8 a.m. This article will be updated as further reporting becomes available.