Colombo: Sri Lanka’s navy has recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people after an Iranian warship sank in the Indian Ocean off the country’s coast following an attack by a US submarine, officials said on Wednesday.
According to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, the navy launched a rescue operation after receiving information that the Iranian vessel, IRIS Dena, carrying around 180 people, was in distress and sinking near the island nation.
Sri Lanka dispatched naval ships and air force aircraft to the area. However, when rescue teams reached the location, the ship had already sunk, said navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath.
“There were only some oil patches and life rafts. We found people floating on the water,” Sampath said.
The 32 rescued personnel were taken to a hospital in the coastal city of Galle in southern Sri Lanka. Health officials said several survivors were injured.
Senior health ministry official Anil Jasinghe said one of the rescued individuals was in critical condition, seven were receiving emergency treatment, while others were being treated for minor injuries.
The incident occurred after a US submarine targeted the Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the vessel as the Islamic Republic’s “prize ship,” saying it marked the first time since World War II that the United States had sunk an enemy ship with a torpedo.
The IRIS Dena is one of Iran’s newest warships and belongs to the Moudge-class frigate fleet of the Iranian Navy. Designed for deep-water patrols, it is equipped with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes, and also carries a helicopter.
The frigate had previously served as the centerpiece of a two-ship international naval tour in 2023 that included port visits to countries such as South Africa and Brazil. During the tour, it was accompanied by the support vessel IRIS Makran, a converted oil tanker.
Both ships were later sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury in February 2023 along with executives of an Iranian drone manufacturer accused of supplying weapons to Russia for use in the conflict in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, US Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads the United States Central Command, said at least 17 Iranian naval vessels have been sunk during the ongoing conflict.
“We are also sinking the Iranian navy — the entire navy,” he said in a video message. (Agencies)
