22 Iranian Warship Crew Members, Victims of US Attack, Discharged from Sri Lankan Hospital
The Iranian warship IRIS Dena sank off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday, March 4, after being torpedoed by a United States submarine. Twenty-two Iranian crew members who were rescued have been discharged from hospital, with ten others still receiving treatment. The survivors had been treated at Karapitiya Hospital in the southern port city of Galle since the sinking, and those discharged last night were moved to a coastal resort in the same district.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Navy has ended the search for further victims; official estimates say more than 60 remain missing. It is also reported that 84 Iranian nationals’ bodies recovered from the Indian Ocean are at the hospital.
Sri Lanka rejected claims that they faced pressure from Washington to halt the repatriation of Iranians, saying they would fully observe international law and domestic law. Authorities say the survivors of the Dena are being treated in accordance with international humanitarian law, and the government has contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross to request assistance.
The island also hosts 219 other Iranian sailors from the second ship, IRIS Bushehr, which was allowed entry into Sri Lankan waters after the Dena sank. The Bushehr crew have been moved to a Sri Lankan Navy camp in Welisara, just north of Colombo, and their vessel has been taken over by the Sri Lankan Navy. A Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson said Bushehr would be taken to the port of Trincomalee in the northeast; however engine damage and other technical and administrative issues have delayed the transfer.
Earlier, the Iranian warship IRIS Dena sank off Sri Lanka after being struck by a torpedo launched by a US submarine. At least 87 Iranian personnel were killed and 61 are still missing; about 32 more Iranians were rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy, most of them wounded.
The sinking occurred amid a broader conflict triggered by a joint US-Israeli attack in the Middle East. The Sri Lankan Navy, as reported by AFP on 5 March 2026, evacuated at least 87 bodies of Iranian servicemen from the vessel, with searches continuing for others still missing.