COLOMBO: A large-scale search and rescue operation is underway in the Indian Ocean after an Iranian Navy warship sank near Sri Lanka’s Galle port, authorities said on Wednesday.
According to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence, approximately 180 personnel were on board the vessel at the time of the incident. Of them, 140 remain missing, while 30 have been rescued from the sea and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Officials said the Sri Lankan Navy and Air Force are jointly conducting search and rescue operations. Hospital sources reported that some of the injured sustained fractures, while others suffered burn injuries and bruises. The condition of several personnel was described as critical.
The vessel involved was IRIS Dena, part of the Iranian Navy’s 86th flotilla. The fully indigenous warship is regarded as a symbol of Iran’s naval capability.
Measuring about 95 metres in length and weighing nearly 1,500 tonnes, the ship was equipped with Noor and Qader anti-ship missiles, a 76mm Fajr-27 naval gun and 30mm weapon systems. Between 2022 and 2023, it completed an approximately 65,000-kilometre global maritime voyage.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that emergency signals were received from the vessel earlier in the day, prompting immediate rescue efforts. However, the cause of the sinking has not yet been officially disclosed.
An opposition lawmaker questioned whether the vessel could have been targeted amid ongoing US and Israeli actions against Iran, though the government has not issued any formal response to the claim.
According to the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy, the Iranian warship was present in the region to participate in the naval exercise IRF and MILAN 2026.
Authorities said search operations are continuing, and an investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.