Newly surfaced footage shows Sri Lankan naval forces retrieving Iranian sailors who survived the US torpedo strike on the warship IRIS Dena. The incident took place on March 4, around 19 nautical miles from Galle.
As per an Al Jazeera report, Sri Lankan authorities said that 87 bodies have been recovered so far, while 32 individuals were rescued from the IRIS Dena, which sank on Wednesday. Officials believe around 180 people were aboard the vessel at the time of the incident.
???? First visuals of the Sri Lanka Navy rescuing Iranian sailors who survived the torpedo attack on the Iranian warship IRIS Dena on March 4, about 19 nautical miles off Galle.
— NewsWire ???????? (@NewsWireLK) March 6, 2026
32 survivors were brought ashore following the attack. pic.twitter.com/23yph7DZJF
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Speaking in Parliament, cabinet spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa stated that the ship was situated close to Colombo, inside the country's exclusive economic zone but beyond its territorial limits. He said officials were doing everything possible to ensure the safety of those involved, reported Al Jazeera.
The announcement came after Washington acknowledged that a US submarine had torpedoed the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which had been returning from a routine naval exercise hosted by India. The strike represents the first instance since World War II of a US submarine sinking an enemy vessel with torpedoes.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “In the Indian Ocean—an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship, that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo—Quiet Death.”
“The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War 2. Like in that war—back when we were still the War Department—we are fighting to win,” he said.
.@SECWAR “In the Indian Ocean—an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship, that thought it was safe in international waters.
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) March 4, 2026
Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo—Quiet Death.
The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War 2. Like in that war—back when we were… pic.twitter.com/Y97YQBxQza
A Moudge-class frigate of the Iranian Navy, the IRIS Dena was sailing home after participating in the multinational naval exercise Exercise MILAN 2026 conducted in Visakhapatnam.
As per a Deutsche Welle report, Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson Buddhika Sampath said the country responded to an emergency call in line with its international commitments, noting that the incident occurred within Sri Lanka's designated search and rescue zone.
He added that when naval vessels reached the site, the ship had already gone down, leaving behind oil slicks, life rafts and survivors drifting in the water.
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