After the U.S. sinks an Iranian warship, Sri Lanka takes custody of an Iranian vessel

"Sri Lankan navy spokesperson Cmdr. Buddhika Sampath said 204 sailors of the IRIS Bushehr were brought to Welisara Naval Base near the capital, Colombo. They underwent border control procedures and medical tests, but none were found to have health issues. About 15 others have been left aboard the ship with Sri Lankan naval personnel for assistance because they had reported a fault with the ship."

"The strike marked one of the rare instances since World War II in which a submarine sank a surface warship, and highlighted the expanding scope of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran. The Dena had participated in naval exercises hosted by India before heading into international waters on its way home."

"The Indian navy received a distress signal from the Dena but by the time it launched a search and rescue operation, the Sri Lankan navy had already begun its own rescue efforts, the ministry said. The Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 sailors and recovered 87 bodies."

Sri Lanka received over 200 sailors from the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Bushehr after it requested assistance while anchored outside Sri Lankan waters. The sailors underwent border control procedures and medical evaluations with no health issues identified. Approximately 15 sailors remained aboard the ship with Sri Lankan naval personnel to address reported mechanical faults. The vessel will be transported to Trincomalee port in eastern Sri Lanka and held in Sri Lankan custody. This incident occurred following the U.S. submarine's sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka's coast, which marked a rare post-World War II instance of a submarine destroying a surface warship. The Dena had participated in Indian-hosted naval exercises involving 74 countries before heading into international waters.

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