Sri Lanka launches rescue after Iranian naval ship in trouble
More than 100 people were reported missing and at least 78 injured on Wednesday after an Iranian naval vessel issued a distress call off the coast of Sri Lanka, triggering a large-scale rescue operation by Sri Lankan authorities.
Initial reports suggested the emergency may have been linked to a suspected submarine strike on the Iranian warship. However, Sri Lankan officials denied that the distress call was triggered by any submarine attack, according to Reuters, which cited sources in the Lankan navy and defence ministry.
Rescue operation launched near Galle
The vessel in distress was identified as the Iranian frigate Iris Dena. According to reports by AFP, citing Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, the ship was carrying around 180 crew members and began sinking just outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters at dawn.
Sri Lankan naval ships and air force aircraft were dispatched after the distress signal was received. Local media, including Ada Derana, reported that the incident occurred about 40 nautical miles off the southern city of Galle.
Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara was cited as saying that the Navy and Air Force were conducting a joint rescue operation to extract the crew from the stricken vessel.
Casualties and hospitalisations
Reuters later reported that at least 32 personnel from the frigate had been hospitalised. According to PTI, 32 individuals were rescued from the sinking ship and admitted to a hospital in southern Sri Lanka.
Anil Jasinghe, a senior official at Sri Lanka’s health ministry, said one person was in critical condition, seven were receiving emergency care, and the remaining injured were being treated for minor injuries.
Foreign Minister Herath told Parliament that approximately 30 injured sailors were being transported to hospital as rescue efforts continued.
No footage released
Both the Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force stated that they would not release footage of the rescue operation, citing the involvement of another country’s military, as reported by Singapore-based outlet CNA.
While the precise cause of the distress remains unclear, authorities emphasised that investigations were ongoing and that rescue efforts were the immediate priority.
The incident marks a rare maritime emergency involving a foreign military vessel in waters near Sri Lanka, with search and rescue operations continuing amid uncertainty over the fate of those still missing.
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