At least 101 people are missing and 78 wounds after a submarine attack against an Iranian ship off the coast of Sri Lanka, according to sources in the Sri Lanka Navy and Ministry of Defence. Reuters reports it online.
The Iranian ship sank 40 miles from Galle
At 5.08 this morning the Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard received an emergency message from the sinking vessel, called “Iris Dena”, a 40 nautical miles from Galle Southern Port District.
This was stated by the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Vijitha Herath, quoted by the PTI agency, adding that at least 30 sailors were rescued, while approximately 180 people were on board at the time of the attack.
Doubts about possible links with attacks on Iran
According to reports from AFP, an opposition MP asked in Parliament whether the ship had been hit in the attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, but there was no immediate response from the government.
Rescue operations at sea
“We are required, according to the international convention on maritime rescue, to help anyone who is in difficulty, regardless of the reason”, declared the minister Herath, confirming that the Search and rescue operations are still ongoing.