Twenty-two Iranian sailors rescued after the IRIS Dena was reportedly torpedoed near Sri Lanka have been discharged from Karapitiya Hospital; 10 remain in care and 84 bodies were brought to the facility. Sri Lanka says it will follow international law, has contacted the ICRC, and denies any US pressure in handling the survivors. The government is also sheltering 219 crew from the IRIS Bushehr, while India allowed the IRIS Lavan to dock on humanitarian grounds. Authorities are responding to an oil slick at Hikkaduwa and investigating debris washed ashore.
Sri Lanka Discharges 22 Iranian Sailors After IRIS Dena Torpedoing; 84 Bodies Recovered
A handout photograph taken March 4 and released by the Sri Lankan President's Office shows Sri Lankan navy personnel evacuating rescued Iranian sailors from the Dena (-)(-/SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT'S OFFICE/AFP)
Sri Lankan officials said on Sunday that 22 Iranian sailors who were rescued from life rafts after their warship, the IRIS Dena, was reportedly torpedoed by a US submarine just outside Sri Lanka's territorial waters have been discharged from hospital.
Medical Care and Missing Crew
The rescued crew received treatment at Karapitiya Hospital in Galle beginning on Wednesday. A hospital medical officer told AFP that another 10 survivors remain under treatment, and that the bodies of 84 Iranians recovered from the Indian Ocean were also at the facility. Sri Lankan authorities estimate just over 60 people remain missing; the Sri Lanka Navy concluded its search for additional survivors on Sunday.
Diplomatic Handling and Humanitarian Steps
Colombo denied suggestions it had been pressured by Washington to prevent the Iranians from returning home, saying the government would act in accordance with international law and domestic legislation. Officials said the Dena survivors were being processed under international humanitarian law and that Sri Lanka had contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross for assistance.
Other Iranian Vessels And Shelter
The island nation is also sheltering 219 sailors from a second Iranian ship, the IRIS Bushehr, which was allowed to enter Sri Lankan waters after the Dena was sunk. Those crew members were moved to a Sri Lanka Navy camp at Welisara, north of Colombo, and the Bushehr is now under navy custody. Sri Lanka had planned to transfer the Bushehr to the north-eastern port of Trincomalee, but a navy spokesman said engine failure and other technical and administrative issues delayed the move.
India, meanwhile, allowed a third Iranian warship, the IRIS Lavan, to dock at Kochi on humanitarian grounds after it reported engine problems. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said many aboard were young cadets; they disembarked and were accommodated nearby.
Environmental Concerns
Separately, authorities reported an oil slick near the Hikkaduwa beach resort. About 50 workers and volunteers were deployed for cleanup, and boats were dispatched to assess further pollution. Samantha Gunasekara, chairman of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), said a thin oil patch was observed and that fragments of a damaged life raft, a barrel of lubricants and footwear had washed ashore; investigators are trying to determine whether these items came from the sunk Dena.
Note: Reporting attributes the torpedoing to a US submarine based on initial accounts cited by Sri Lankan officials and media; investigations and official confirmations may evolve.
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