Colombo. The bodies of about 80 Iranian sailors have been recovered from an Iranian naval ship that sank after a US submarine attack near the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka had earlier said that its navy rescued 32 Iranian sailors from the Iranian ship Iris Dena carrying about 180 sailors in the early hours of Wednesday. The Sri Lankan Navy, however, did not give a reason why the ship sent the emergency message.
According to media reports, US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth said that an American submarine has sunk an Iranian warship in international waters. He said that this is the first incident of sinking an enemy ship with torpedoes since the Second World War. The Iranian ship recently participated in an international naval exercise organized by India. There was no immediate comment from the Indian Navy. Hegseth said a US submarine sank an Iranian warship that was thought to be safe in international waters but was sunk by torpedoes, just 400 km off Kanyakumari, India.
Sri Lankan Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Chandra said the bodies were now at Karapitiya Hospital in Galle. Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson Commander Buddhika Sampath said several bodies were found near the location from where the emergency message was sent, although the exact number was not immediately known. He said that it is difficult to give any number at this time, but bodies have been found. He said that when our teams reached the spot, we saw a large amount of oil spilled, which indicated that the ship had sunk. Sampath confirmed that the ship was Iranian and that the rescued crew members were in Iranian naval uniform.
Herath said the rescued sailors were taken to the Navy’s Southern Command headquarters and later admitted to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle. Officials said security has been beefed up around the Southern Command. Referring to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Herath said that Sri Lanka expresses deep concern about the situation and appeals for a peaceful solution.
