March 05, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lankan naval authorities say the bodies of 84 people have been recovered after an Iranian naval vessel went down in deep waters south of Sri Lanka, beyond the island’s maritime boundary, following what the United States described as a submarine attack.
According to the Sri Lanka Navy, search-and-rescue teams remain at sea as efforts continue to locate additional missing crew members from the stricken vessel.
The ship involved, identified as the IRIS Dena, reportedly sank in the Indian Ocean after being struck during an encounter involving a U.S. submarine. The incident occurred while the vessel was returning to Iran after taking part in a multinational fleet review and naval exercise held in Visakhapatnam, India.
Officials say the warship had an estimated 180 personnel on board at the time of the attack, though the exact number of those still unaccounted for has yet to be confirmed.
In Washington, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth acknowledged that an American submarine had destroyed an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. Speaking to reporters, he said the vessel had assumed it was operating safely in international waters before it was struck by a torpedo.
He described the strike as the first time since the Second World War that a hostile naval vessel had been sunk by a torpedo in combat, although he did not specifically identify the Iranian ship involved.
Sri Lankan naval units first became aware of the situation after receiving an emergency distress signal from the IRIS Dena in the early hours of the morning. Patrol ships and aircraft were deployed to the area, leading to the rescue of 32 survivors, who were later taken ashore and admitted to Galle National Hospital for treatment.
At a media briefing, Navy spokesperson Commander Buddhika Sampath said the priority of the operation had been the immediate rescue of survivors. He noted that when Sri Lankan rescuers arrived at the reported location, the vessel itself was no longer visible.
Instead, search crews encountered large slicks of oil on the surface along with drifting life rafts and scattered debris, suggesting the ship had already sunk beneath the waves by the time help arrived.
Authorities say recovery and search operations will continue in the coming days as hopes remain that more survivors could still be found.
