Iranian Warship Sinks; Crew Rescued by Indonesian Neighbour
An Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, reportedly sank on Wednesday 4 March 2026 just outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, triggering a major rescue operation amid escalating geopolitical tensions.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed that 32 sailors in critical condition were rescued from the ill-fated vessel. The ship, which carried 180 crew members, remains the subject of speculation as to the exact cause of sinking, though early reports mention an explosion before it vanished from the surface.
‘Sri Lanka has rescued 32 critically injured sailors on board the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which sank on Wednesday outside the archipelago’s territorial waters,’ Herath told parliament, quoted by AFP.
He added that the injured sailors were rushed to hospitals in the island’s southern region for intensive care. Although the cause of the explosion is not yet known, the frigate was able to emit an emergency signal at dawn before sinking about 40 kilometres south of Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence is conducting intensive searches to locate the remaining crew members not yet found. As time passes, hope of finding more survivors dwindles amid the vast search area.
‘We are continuing the search, but we do not know what happened to the rest of the crew,’ a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
In the rescue operation, Herath explained that two Sri Lankan Navy ships and one aircraft were deployed to the scene. Nevertheless, the government has not provided official details on what caused the destruction of the Iranian warship, though local political circles have circulated speculation.
An opposition member of parliament had questioned in the chamber whether the vessel was targeted in a bombing as part of the United States and Israel strikes against Iran. However, the government has not replied directly to that question.
Sri Lanka Navy spokesperson Buddhika Sampath stressed that the rescue operation was carried out purely under international maritime duty. A total of 32 Iranian sailors have been evacuated to the main hospital in Galle, about 115 kilometres south of Colombo.
‘We responded to the emergency call under our international obligation, because this lies within our search and rescue area in the Indian Ocean,’ Sampath told AFP.
As of this report, Sri Lankan Navy and Air Force have declined to release video footage of the evacuation process, arguing that the incident involves military forces from another country and is thus sensitive. Local police have tightened security around Galle Hospital as casualties arrive for treatment.
tps/luc) Add as a preferred source on Google [Gambas:Video CNBC]