Galle: Sri Lankan authorities have recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people after a US submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the country’s southern coast.

The incident occurred in the Indian Ocean when the vessel, carrying 180 crew members, was struck by a torpedo, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said. He described the IRIS Dena as Iran’s “prize ship” and noted it was the first enemy vessel sunk by a US submarine since the Second World War.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that the navy had received a distress signal from the frigate and immediately dispatched ships and aircraft to assist. Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said that when rescuers arrived, there was no sign of the vessel, only oil patches and life rafts. Survivors were found floating in the water.

The rescued sailors were admitted to hospital in Galle, while the bodies recovered were taken to a temporary mortuary at the National Hospital under police and naval supervision. Dr Anil Jasinghe said one survivor is in critical condition, seven are receiving emergency care, and others are being treated for minor injuries.

The IRIS Dena, one of Iran’s newest Moudge-class frigates, was armed with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, and carried a helicopter. It had been sanctioned by the US Treasury in February 2023, alongside officials from an Iranian drone manufacturer supplying weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.

The attack is part of a wider US-Israeli military operation targeting Iran, which US President Donald Trump has said aims to neutralise Iran’s naval capabilities. US Admiral Brad Cooper, head of Central Command, said at least 17 Iranian naval vessels have been sunk during the ongoing conflict.

A video released by the US Department of War on X shows the torpedo striking the IRIS Dena, causing a large underwater explosion that broke the vessel apart and sent a plume of water into the air.