At least 101 people are missing, and 78 others were injured as a result of a submarine attack on the Iranian military ship IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka, sources in the Sri Lankan Navy and Ministry of Defense told Reuters.
It was previously reported that the IRIS Dena sent a distress signal off the coast of Sri Lanka, according to local authorities. The country's Navy and Air Force were dispatched to rescue the Iranian sailors from the sinking ship.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena stated in parliament that the distress signal from the ship was received at dawn on Wednesday.
According to him, there were 180 people on board, and 30 sailors were taken to a hospital in the Sri Lankan port of Galle.
One of the members of the Sri Lankan parliament asked the Foreign Minister whether the IRIS Dena was attacked as part of a U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran, but did not receive a response.
Dena is a Moudge-class frigate of the Southern Fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, named after Mount Dena. It has a displacement of 1,300–1,500 tons and a length of 94 meters. Like other Iranian ships of the Moudge class, Dena has a helipad.
Leave a comment