The bodies of 87 sailors have been recovered from an Iranian warship that sank in the Indian Ocean, the Sri Lankan navy said on Wednesday. The rescue operation was launched early Wednesday off the coast of Galle, Sri Lankan police and defense officials told AFP .
A senior navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the rescue operation was not over yet and the search for the missing was ongoing. “So far, 87 bodies have been recovered. Many more are missing,” he said.
Earlier, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean was hit and sunk by a US submarine. He said the ship was in international waters and considered itself safe. He did not elaborate on which specific ship was targeted.
An earlier statement from the Sri Lankan Navy said that around 140 sailors were missing after the Iranian warship Iris Dena sank off the coast of Galle early Wednesday. The exact number of casualties is still being verified.
According to analysts, the incident has further highlighted the growing military tensions between the United States and Iran in the Indian Ocean and has raised renewed concerns about the regional security situation.