THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vigilance has been beefed up in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala following reports of refugees entering India from Sri Lanka, which is reeling under a severe financial crisis. Authorities have received information that Sri Lankan refugees are likely to reach Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram. Following this, officials were directed to exercise caution. The coast guard and the police are conducting inspections in and around Vizhinjam.

The country is currently going through the worst economic crisis Sri Lanka has seen in seven decades. A group of 16 Sri Lankan refugees has already arrived in Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu. It is learned that a group of about 2,000 people is preparing to flee to India.

The Sri Lankan government had yesterday deployed troops to control congestion at petrol pumps in the country, which is running out of cooking gas and electricity.

Sri Lanka has been hit hard by a crisis in foreign exchange reserves and a slump in the tourism sector. Tens of thousands of people protested in Sri Lanka yesterday demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa as the financial crisis deepened.