A second Iranian warship approached the waters near Sri Lanka on Thursday, a day after a US submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off the island’s southern coast, killing at least 87 sailors, according to a government minister.ย Media minister Nalinda Jayatissa told parliament the vessel was currently just outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters but did not disclose further details.ย
According to news agency AFP official sources, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was holding consultations with top authorities over Tehran’s request to allow the ship to enter Sri Lankan waters for safety, as the vessel carrying over 100 crew members and feared they too could be targeted the same way a sister vessel was sunk by a US submarine just off Sri Lanka’s southern coast on Wednesday.
The incident occurred amid the escalating conflict triggered by joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The US and Israel have launched a massive joint attack on Iran since February 28. The war has extended to almost the entire Gulf region with Iran’s retaliation.
87 Iranian sailors killedย
In the southern port city of Galle, authorities were preparing to hand over the remains of 87 Iranian sailors killed in the torpedo attack. Hospital officials said 32 rescued crew members are being treated under tight security, with a special ward set up for them after the Emergency Treatment Unit was restricted to visitors.ย
“Most of them have minor injuries, but there were a few with fractures and burns,” a nurse at the hospital said, without giving her name.
Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath told AFP that Sri Lankan navy vessels were continuing their search for missing Iranian sailors. The vessel had issued a distress call at dawn on Wednesday but completely sunk by the time a Sri Lankan rescue ship reached the area.
The attack was just 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Galle, the local navy said. The warship was returning after attending a military exercise in India’s eastern port of Visakhapatnam.
Sri Lanka, which has maintained neutrality in the conflict, has urged dialogue to resolve tensions in the Middle East. Iran remains an important buyer of Sri Lankan tea, the countryโs key export commodity.