Sri Lanka responded to a distress call from the Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dena on Wednesday, rescuing 30 injured sailors as the vessel returned from the Indian Navy’s International Fleet Review and the multinational Exercise Milan in Visakhapatnam, India. The emergency occurred south of Sri Lanka, prompting a coordinated maritime and aerial rescue operation, officials said.

The frigate, carrying approximately 180 crew members, issued the distress signal around dawn while sailing roughly 40 nautical miles south of Galle, just outside Sri Lankan territorial waters. In response, the Sri Lanka Navy dispatched ships and aircraft, with support from the Sri Lanka Air Force, to evacuate the injured sailors to shore.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that the injured personnel were being transported to hospitals in southern Sri Lanka. Authorities placed the main hospital in Galle, about 115 kilometers south of Colombo, on alert to receive the casualties. Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara confirmed that the Navy and Air Force were conducting a joint rescue operation to assist the crew.

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Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson Buddhika Sampath emphasized that the rescue was carried out under international maritime obligations. “We responded to the distress call under our international obligations as this falls within Sri Lanka’s Search and Rescue Area in the Indian Ocean,” he said.

The IRIS Dena had recently participated in India’s International Fleet Review and Exercise Milan alongside naval forces from multiple countries. The Chief of the Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, had also attended these engagements, including the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Conclave of Chiefs.

While the exact circumstances of the distress remain unclear, reports suggest the incident occurred amid ongoing heightened tensions in West Asia following recent US-Israel strikes on Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliation. There is speculation that the vessel may have been shadowed by US naval assets, including the destroyer USS Pinckney or a nuclear-powered submarine operating from Diego Garcia, though details remain unconfirmed.

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