Submarine attack on Iranian ship off Sri Lanka leaves over 70 injured, 101 missing
PTC News Desk:In a serious sea incident near Sri Lanka’s southern coast, at least 101 people are missing and 78 others have been injured after what officials described as a submarine attack on an Iranian ship. The information was shared by Sri Lanka’s navy and defence ministry sources, according to Reuters.
The incident took place in waters off Sri Lanka on Wednesday. The ship sent out a distress call, after which the Sri Lankan military launched a large search and rescue operation.
The Sri Lanka Navy confirmed that many people are missing and several were injured. A defence ministry spokesperson said the navy quickly sent rescue teams after receiving the emergency signal from the Iranian vessel.
“The Sri Lankan navy has dispatched a rescue mission after a distress call from an Iranian ship,” the spokesperson said earlier in the day.
So far, 32 injured people have been rescued and are receiving treatment in hospitals. This number was updated from earlier reports.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Vijitha Herath, had earlier informed lawmakers that crew members from the damaged ship were brought to shore for medical care. However, he did not share more details and said Sri Lanka would respond appropriately to the situation.
There is still no clear information about the ship’s identity, how many people were on board in total, or who was responsible for the reported submarine attack.
Officials from Sri Lanka and Iran are expected to provide more updates soon.
- PTC NEWS
