32 Iranians rescued from warship “IRIS Dena” admitted to Karapitiya Hospital
March 4, 2026 12:43 pm
A total of 32 Iranians who were rescued from the Iranian warship “IRIS Dena” by the Sri Lanka Navy earlier today (04) have been admitted to the Karapitiya Hospital.
Around 180 individuals were on board the Iranian Navy vessel ‘IRIS Dena’, which was in distress about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle this morning.
Meanwhile, Police have also stepped up security outside the Galle National Hospital as the wounded Iranians were brought there for treatment, according to Ada Derana reporter.
Earlier, the Sri Lanka Navy confirmed that around 30 individuals were rescued from the Iranian Navy vessel in distress off Sri Lanka’s southern seas.
The Sri Lanka Air Force has deployed an aircraft to the area of the incident to assist with search operations.
Meanwhile, speaking in Parliament today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath noted that the vessel was not in Sri Lankan territorial waters when the accident occurred. However, based on Sri Lanka’s international obligations, local vessels were deployed on a rescue mission.
The Foreign Minister also confirmed that, based on the distress call received around 5:08 a.m. by the Navy indicating the vessel was sinking, rescue operations were launched at around 7:00 a.m.
