Navy joins search for Iranian warship survivors
The Indian Navy on Thursday said it joined the search and rescue operation after learning about a distress call from the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which went down off the coast of Sri Lanka after being hit by a torpedo fired by a US submarine.
The Iranian warship was returning home after participating in the Milan multilateral naval exercise hosted by India. At least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in the attack, according to Sri Lankan authorities.
In a statement, the Indian Navy said it promptly launched its search and rescue (SAR) efforts with a long-range maritime patrol aircraft at 10 am on Wednesday to augment the rescue operations led by Sri Lanka. “Another aircraft with air-droppable life rafts was also kept on standby for immediate deployment. INS Tarangini, which was operating in the vicinity, was deployed for aiding the rescue efforts and arrived in the search area by 4 pm,” it said.
“By this time, search and rescue had been undertaken by the Sri Lankan Navy and other agencies,” it said.
The Indian Navy said a distress call from IRIS Dena was received at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres Colombo in the early hours of Wednesday, as reported by the Sri Lankan Navy.
