COLOMBO, Sept. 28 -- Sri Lanka is seeking technical expertise from China to assist state authorities investigating the explosion and subsequent fire at the Polonnaruwa National Nephrology Specialized Hospital over the weekend.

Director General of Health Services Dr Asela Gunawardena said formal arrangements are underway to bring the specialist team to Sri Lanka and that government officials were actively liaising with the Chinese Embassy in Colombo to brief the Chinese Government on the specifics of the incident.

In addition to law enforcement and local forensics inquiries, Minister of Health Dr Nalinda Jayatissa has ordered a separate, ministry-level probe to investigate the circumstances surrounding the blast.

The explosion occurred ...