The incident occurred in international waters near Sri Lanka's southern coast on Wednesday, triggering a large-scale rescue operation by the Sri Lankan military after the Iranian vessel issued a distress call. At least 87 people have been killed after a US submarine attack on an Iranian ship off the coast of Sri Lanka, news agency Reuters reported citing a Sri Lankan minister. The incident occurred in international waters near the South Asian nation's southern coast on Wednesday (March 4), triggering a large-scale rescue operation by the Sri Lankan military after the Iranian ship issued a distress call. A spokesperson for the Sri Lankan defence ministry said the country's navy launched a rescue operation after receiving an emergency signal from the Iranian ship. Sri Lanka's foreign minister Vijitha Herath had earlier said that personnel from the sinking ship were taken ashore for medical care.

Source: dna March 04, 2026 16:47 UTC