Mumbai, March 4: The Sri Lankan Navy rescued 32 "critically wounded" sailors today, March 1 after the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena sank in the Indian Ocean. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath informed Parliament that the vessel went down just outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the island. The rescue operation remains ongoing as authorities search for the remainder of the 180-person crew.

Emergency Rescue Operation Launched After Iranian Frigate IRIS Dena Sinks in Sri Lanka

The IRIS Dena issued a distress call at dawn on Wednesday, prompting an immediate response from the Sri Lankan military. Foreign Minister Herath confirmed that two navy vessels and an aircraft were deployed to the site of the sinking. The 32 rescued sailors were evacuated to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle, located about 115 kilometers south of Colombo. Due to the influx of foreign military personnel, local police have significantly increased security measures around the hospital premises.

While the vessel reportedly experienced an explosion before sinking, the official cause of the incident remains unknown. During a parliamentary session on Wednesday, an opposition legislator questioned if the frigate had been targeted as part of the ongoing military tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. The Sri Lankan government has not yet provided a response to these inquiries, and both the Navy and Air Force have declined to release footage of the rescue operation, citing the involvement of a foreign state's military.

Search for Missing Crew Continues

The fate of the remaining 148 crew members is currently unclear. Sri Lanka’s Defence Ministry stated that search and rescue efforts are continuing, though officials have expressed concern over the likelihood of finding more survivors as time passes. "We are keeping up a search, but we don’t know yet what happened to the rest of the crew," a government official told AFP, indicating a dimming outlook for the search mission.

Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath emphasized that the intervention was conducted in accordance with international law. Since the sinking occurred within Sri Lanka’s designated search and rescue zone in the Indian Ocean, the country was obligated to respond to the distress signal. The IRIS Dena is a Mowj-class frigate, a centerpiece of Iran's domestically produced naval fleet. Its presence in the Indian Ocean is part of Iran’s long-standing effort to project naval power beyond the Persian Gulf.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 04, 2026 04:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).