Survivors of a deadly submarine strike on an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean are recovering in hospital in the Sri Lankan port city of Galle, officials said on Thursday. The attack, which occurred a day earlier, left at least 87 sailors dead and dozens more missing.
Authorities at the National Hospital in Galle confirmed that military rescue teams brought in the bodies after responding to an early-morning distress call from the Iranian vessel IRIS Dena on Wednesday. Search and rescue operations are continuing for about 60 crew members who remain unaccounted for.
Thirty-two sailors who survived the incident were rescued and taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Officials said they were receiving treatment and could be discharged soon. Security was tightened around the hospital ward where the sailors were being treated.
The strike significantly expands the scope of the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which has already seen missile and drone exchanges across the Middle East. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said an American submarine targeted the Iranian warship in international waters, striking it with a torpedo that caused a massive explosion and sank the vessel.
