Over 100 missing after Iranian warship sinks outside Sri Lankan waters

More than 100 crew members are missing, and over 75 are wounded after an Iranian warship sank outside Sri Lankan territorial waters, about 25 miles south of the island, early this morning, authorities said.

According to Sri Lanka’s Defence Ministry, at least 101 sailors remain unaccounted for, while 78 others were injured following the incident involving the Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dena, which was carrying around 180 crew members.

The vessel reportedly issued a distress call at dawn before going down in waters south of Sri Lanka.

Foreign Minister Vajitha Herath told Parliament that injured sailors rescued from the vessel had been taken to a hospital in southern Sri Lanka for treatment.

Sri Lanka Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath said two naval vessels and an aircraft had been deployed to assist in search and rescue operations in line with the country’s international maritime obligations.

“We are continuing the search, but we do not yet know what happened to the rest of the crew,” an official said, raising concerns over the chances of finding more survivors.

Meanwhile, 32 Iranian sailors were evacuated to the main hospital in Galle, about 70 miles south of Colombo, for medical treatment.

Authorities said the cause of the explosion that sank the vessel remains unclear.