An Iranian warship sank off the coast of Sri Lanka after a reported explosion, leaving nearly 150 sailors missing. Rescue teams saved 32 crew members as search operations continue amid rising Middle East tensions.
A major maritime rescue effort is underway after an Iranian warship sank off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday, leaving nearly 150 sailors missing and raising fresh concerns amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Sri Lankan authorities confirmed that dozens were rescued, but the fate of many crew members remains unknown hours after the vessel went down.
Distress Call and Sudden Sinking
The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena reportedly issued a distress call at dawn while sailing about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the southern port city of Galle. Within an hour, Sri Lanka’s navy had dispatched rescue teams to the location.
However, by the time the first rescue vessel arrived, the warship had already disappeared beneath the water.
According to officials, only an oil slick remained on the surface.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that the navy managed to rescue 32 sailors from the sinking vessel. They were immediately taken to hospital for treatment.
Survivors Hospitalised, Search Continues
The rescued sailors were rushed to Karapitiya hospital in Galle, where doctors confirmed they were being treated for injuries.
The hospital director, S. D. Ranga, said authorities were still trying to understand the scale of casualties.
Rescue operations remain ongoing, involving navy ships and an aircraft scanning the surrounding waters for survivors.
“We are keeping up a search, but we don’t know yet what happened to the rest of the crew,” a defence official told AFP.
Officials say hopes of finding 148 other sailors are fading as time passes.
Reports of an Explosion
Crew members reportedly spoke of an explosion before the frigate went down, but authorities say the exact cause of the incident remains unclear. A Reuters report, quoting sources, claimed that a suspected submarine attack led to the Iranian ship’s sinking.
The ship had reportedly been travelling after attending a military exercise in India’s eastern port of Visakhapatnam.
The incident has drawn attention because it occurred as war intensifies in the Middle East, where strikes by Israel and the United States against Iran have heightened regional tensions.
During parliamentary discussions, an opposition legislator questioned whether the vessel might have been bombed as part of the ongoing conflict. The government, however, has not responded to that suggestion.
Bodies Recovered From the Sea
Sri Lanka’s navy confirmed that rescue teams had recovered some bodies from the area where the ship sank.
“We have found a few bodies from the area where the ship had gone down,” navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath said.
Authorities say the operation is being carried out under international maritime rescue obligations, as the incident occurred within Sri Lanka’s designated search and rescue region in the Indian Ocean.
“We responded to the distress call under our international obligations, as this is within our search and rescue area in the Indian Ocean,” Sampath told AFP.
Security Tightened, Information Limited
Security was increased outside the hospital in Galle as injured Iranian sailors were brought in for treatment. Officials said images or footage of the rescue were not being released because the operation involved the military personnel of another country.
Iran’s ambassador in Colombo, Alireza Delkhosh, was not immediately available for comment on the incident.
A Sensitive Moment for Sri Lanka
The sinking comes at a delicate time for Sri Lanka, which has maintained a neutral stance in the escalating Middle East conflict while calling for dialogue and de-escalation.
The region remains deeply connected to Sri Lanka’s economy as well. More than a million Sri Lankans work across the Middle East, sending back remittances that are vital for the country’s recovery after its severe economic crisis in 2022.
For now, search teams continue scanning the waters where the frigate vanished, hoping for any sign of the missing sailors. But as hours pass, the uncertainty surrounding their fate is only growing.