Eight female workers from a garment factory in Embilipitiya were admitted to hospital on Wednesday morning after inhaling smoke during a fire at the facility, the police said.
The blaze erupted inside a warehouse of the textile factory in the Nonagama Sudupalam area, the police told Newswire. The affected workers were rushed to the Embilipitiya Base Hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation. The Sewanagala fire-fighting unit was deployed to bring the flames under control.
Investigations are continuing to determine the cause of the fire, the police said. No deaths were reported and the names of the workers were not disclosed.
The incident comes weeks after Sri Lanka ratified the International Labour Organization’s Convention 190 on workplace violence and harassment — sectoral safeguards that workplace safety advocates have long argued should apply equally to fire prevention in apparel hubs in the south.
Source: Newswire.
