File photograph: IRIS Dena
At least 101 people are missing and 78 others wounded after a suspected submarine attack on an Iranian naval vessel off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, according to sources in Sri Lanka’s navy and defence ministry who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday.
Sri Lankan naval and air force units launched a joint rescue operation after the Iranian warship IRIS Dena issued a distress call early on Wednesday morning reporting it had been struck and was taking on water near the southern city of Galle.
Sri Lanka’s navy dispatched vessels and aircraft after receiving the call, with authorities confirming that several injured sailors were evacuated from the vessel and brought ashore for treatment.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that the distress signal came at dawn and that approximately 180 personnel had been aboard the ship at the time of the incident.
At least 30 crew members have been rescued so far and transported to hospital in Galle. Authorities said 32 injured sailors were admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, where one person remains in critical condition while others sustained moderate and minor injuries.
The Sri Lankan navy confirmed the vessel reported difficulties roughly 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle within Sri Lankan territorial waters. Rescue operations involving naval vessels and air force aircraft are ongoing as authorities continue searching for those missing at sea.
The cause of the incident has not been officially confirmed by Sri Lankan authorities. However, Reuters reported that sources within Sri Lanka’s navy and defence ministry indicated that the vessel may have been hit in a submarine attack.
An opposition lawmaker in Sri Lanka’s parliament raised questions about whether the vessel might have been targeted amid ongoing tensions involving Iran and military operations by the United States and Israel, though authorities did not provide an official response.
The IRIS Dena is a Moudge class frigate in the Iranian navy’s Southern Fleet and is considered one of Iran’s more modern naval combat vessels. Commissioned in 2021, the ship was equipped with domestically produced engines and weapon systems.
The frigate had recently participated in the MILAN 2026 multinational naval exercise and fleet review held in Visakhapatnam, India, before the incident occurred.
Sri Lankan naval vessels remain engaged in search and rescue operations as efforts continue to locate survivors from the vessel. Authorities have yet to release a final confirmed casualty figure.