87 bodies recovered after Iranian Ship sinks near Sri Lankan waters following US attack

A total of 87 bodies have been found after the Iranian ship ‘IRIS Dena’ sank following an attack by the United States in waters off southern Sri Lanka. According to Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, 32 crew members from the ‘IRIS Dena’ have been taken to Galle National Hospital, with one currently in the Intensive Care Unit. The recovered bodies are being held at Karapitiya Hospital. The Minister also mentioned that a special security plan is in place at the hospital to protect the injured Iranian nationals. The ship went down after being struck by a torpedo from an American submarine. At the time of the attack, there were approximately 180 people aboard the vessel. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth referred to the ship as Iran’s “prize ship,” highlighting that this incident marks one of the rare occasions since World War II when a submarine has sunk a ship. He stated at a Pentagon briefing, “An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters; instead, it was hit by a torpedo.” After the Sri Lanka Navy received a distress call from the ‘IRIS Dena’, which had 180 people on board, they quickly dispatched ships and aircraft for a rescue operation, as reported by Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath in Parliament. However, when the Navy arrived at the scene, there was no sign of the ship, only some oil patches and life rafts, noted Navy Spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath. “We found people floating on the water,” he added.