A second Iranian warship was en route to Sri Lanka’s territorial waters on Thursday, a day after a US submarine destroyed an Iranian frigate, leaving at least 87 sailors dead, a minister disclosed during a parliament session.
Media minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the second Iranian warship was positioned just outside Sri Lankan waters, but did not provide additional information.
Official sources disclosed that the vessel had more than 100 crew members on board, raising concerns it could face a similar fate after a sister vessel was reportedly sunk by a US submarine just off Sri Lanka’s southern coast on Wednesday.
The sinking came as the war sparked by a joint US-Israel attack on Iran continued to expand across the Middle East and beyond.
Authorities in the southern port city of Galle were on Thursday finalising arrangements to release the remains of 87 Iranian sailors who died in the torpedo attack reportedly claimed by the US military.
Officials at the main hospital in Galle confirmed that 32 rescued Iranians remained under medical care, with tight security provided by police and elite commandos.
The Emergency Treatment Unit was closed to visitors and other patients, with the medical authorities establishing a separate ward for the Iranians.
“Most of them have minor injuries, but there were a few with fractures and burns,” a nurse at the hospital said, without giving her name.
Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath told AFP that Sri Lankan navy vessels were continuing their search for missing Iranian sailors.
Iran has not yet responded on the sinking.
Sri Lanka has maintained its neutrality and has repeatedly urged dialogue to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.
AFP
