Around 180 sailors were onboard the distressed Iranian naval ship IRIS Dena off Galle- FM

Around 180 sailors were aboard the Iranian Navy ship ‘IRIS Dena’ when it faced trouble about 40 nautical miles from Galle this morning (April 4). The Sri Lanka Navy has rescued about 30 sailors, who are now being taken to Galle National Teaching Hospital, as stated by Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath in Parliament today. Earlier, the Navy confirmed the rescue of these individuals from the troubled Iranian vessel in the southern waters of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka Air Force has sent an aircraft to the scene to help with the search efforts. In Parliament, Minister Herath mentioned that the ship was outside Sri Lankan territorial waters at the time of the incident. However, Sri Lanka responded to the emergency based on its international duties, deploying vessels for the rescue mission. The Foreign Minister also noted that a distress signal was received at 5:08 a.m. indicating the ship was sinking, prompting rescue operations to begin at around 7:00 a.m.