Surviving Iranian sailors were recovering at a hospital in Sri Lanka’s southern port city of Galle on Thursday after a US submarine attack sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, killing at least 87 people, authorities said.
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According to officials at the National Hospital in Galle and Sri Lankan naval sources, military rescue teams transported 87 bodies to the port city after responding to an early-morning distress call from the Iranian vessel IRIS Dena on Wednesday.
Read More: At least 87 dead after US sinks Iranian warship
Search and rescue operations were continuing on Thursday for around 60 crew members who remain missing following the attack, authorities added.
A total of 32 sailors were rescued and brought to the hospital, where they were being treated for minor injuries. Officials said most of the survivors were expected to be discharged later on Thursday.
Security around the hospital ward treating the sailors was tight. Two police officers were stationed outside Ward No. 58 while medical staff carried out routine rounds and monitored the condition of the survivors.
The incident marks a significant escalation in the widening conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. The attack occurred hundreds of miles from the Gulf region, where US and Israeli forces have been conducting strikes on Iranian targets while Tehran responds with missile and drone attacks.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike during remarks at the Pentagon, saying an American submarine had targeted the Iranian vessel in international waters.
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“An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” he said, adding that the vessel was destroyed by a torpedo.
A video released by the Pentagon and said to capture the attack showed a large explosion tearing through the rear of the warship, lifting part of the vessel from the water before it began sinking stern-first into the ocean.
Authorities said rescue teams would continue searching nearby waters as hopes remained for additional survivors.