Today, a US submarine sank an Iranian vessel off the coast of Sri Lanka. At least 87 sailors died, and dozens more are still missing, according to officials.
According to AFP, the sinking happened as the war that started with a joint US-Israel attack on Iran began to spread across the Middle East.
“An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in waters that weren’t owned by any one country.” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth informed reporters in Washington that a torpedo sank it instead.
He termed the attack “quiet death” and said it was the first time since World War II that a US ship had sunk an enemy ship with a torpedo.
Hegseth added, “We are fighting to win, just like in that war.”
Police and defense authorities reported that the Sri Lankan navy found the dead of 87 servicemen in the water near the southern city of Galle, but 61 sailors were still missing.
A navy official told our reporter on the condition of anonymity, “A search is still on for the others.”
Earlier, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath revealed that Sri Lankan troops have saved 32 sailors from the damaged Iranian frigate IRIS Dena. Many of them were hurt.
Our photographer spotted the first group of more than two dozen bodies being taken to a hospital in Galle this evening. The sailors who were saved are being treated there.
Sri Lankan naval spokeswoman Buddhika Sampath stated that the ship sent out a distress signal before dawn, but by the time a rescue ship got there an hour later, it had already sunk, leaving just an oil patch on the surface.
The battleship was on its way after apparently taking part in a military exercise in Visakhapatnam, India’s eastern port.
The local navy reported the strike happened only 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Galle.
Iran has not yet said anything about the ship going down. Alireza Delkhosh, Tehran’s ambassador in Colombo, was not available to react right away.
Sampath added that Sri Lanka’s response to the distress call was in keeping with its responsibilities at sea.
Sampath told our reporter, “This is in our search and rescue area in the Indian Ocean.”
Sri Lanka has stayed neutral and asked for talks to end the violence in the Middle East many times.
There are just over a million Sri Lankans working in the area, and they bring in a lot of foreign currency for the country, which is recovering from its worst economic crisis ever in 2022.
The navy and air force of Sri Lanka both indicated they wouldn’t release video of the rescue since it involved the military of another country.
As the injured Iranians were transported to the Galle hospital, police increased security outside.
About the Author
