An Iranian warship identified as IRIS Dena sank off the coast of Galle, Sri Lanka, on Wednesday. The sinking occurred near Sri Lanka’s Indian Ocean coast, with conflicting reports about the number of people rescued and missing.
Key Takeaways
An Iranian warship sank off the coast of Galle, Sri Lanka, with conflicting reports about the cause and number of people rescued or missing. The U.S. has been implicated in the sinking by some sources, while others suggest an engine failure may have caused it. Sri Lankan authorities are conducting search and rescue operations and have taken custody of another Iranian vessel.
The Sri Lankan navy and air force launched a search and rescue operation after receiving a distress call from the ship. According to multiple sources, at least 32 injured crew members were rescued by the Sri Lankan navy and are under treatment in a state-run hospital in Galle.
Sources within Sri Lanka's navy and defense ministry claimed that the vessel had been attacked by a submarine and that at least 101 people were missing. However, a Sri Lankan navy spokesman denied these reports, stating they were not true and rejecting any speculation on the cause of the ship sinking.
The foreign minister Vijitha Herath informed parliament about the incident but did not provide further details. He emphasized that Sri Lanka would take appropriate action and continue rescue operations until all survivors are accounted for.
New reports suggest a different narrative, with Fox News claiming an engine failure as the cause of the sinking. According to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the IRIS Bushehr, another Iranian vessel, suffered an engine failure and offloaded more than 200 crew members in Sri Lanka. The ship is being brought to Colombo for repairs.
The U.S. has been implicated in the sinking of the IRIS Dena, with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stating it was 'the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II.' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi condemned the attack, calling it an atrocity and warning that the U.S. would regret its actions.
Sri Lanka transferred more than 200 sailors from the IRIS Bushehr to shore after it sought assistance while anchored outside the country’s waters. The sailors underwent border control procedures and medical tests, with none found to have health issues. About 15 others remained aboard the ship with Sri Lankan naval personnel for assistance due to a reported fault.
The Sri Lankan government took custody of the Bushehr after the U.S. sank the IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s coast Wednesday. The strike marked one of the rare instances since World War II in which a submarine sank a surface warship, highlighting the expanding scope of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
The Indian navy received a distress signal from the Dena but by the time it launched a search and rescue operation, the Sri Lankan navy had already begun its own rescue efforts. The Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 sailors and recovered 87 bodies.
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