Galle: At least 87 sailors are confirmed dead after an Iranian warship was attacked by a US torpedo near the South Asian island nation of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijhita Hearth confirmed that 87 bodies of sailors were recovered, and search and recovery operations are continuing in the waters off the southern city of Galle.

According to Anadolu Agency, another 32 sailors of the IRIS Dena vessel were wounded and are being treated at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle. The Iranian warship was carrying 180 crew members. The US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that American forces attacked the Iranian warship, which had participated in a naval drill off the Indian coast last month. Hegseth stated that an American submarine sank the ship with a torpedo, marking the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II.

Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath noted that a joint rescue operation was launched after the vessel issued a distress call. Rescuers found people floating in the water, later identifying them as belonging to the Iranian ship. Sampath mentioned that when the navy responded to the distress call, only traces of oil spills were visible, indicating the incident occurred beyond Sri Lankan waters.

The IRIS Dena is a Moudge-class frigate serving in the Iranian Navy's Southern Fleet and was on its way home after participating in the Milan 2026 multinational naval exercise and fleet review in the Bay of Bengal. The attack comes amid ongoing US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, which began Saturday, resulting in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and 866 others. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting US-linked sites in Gulf countries, causing multiple fatalities, including the deaths of six US service members.