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The Indian Navy on Thursday said it had responded to a distress call from the Iranian warship IRIS Dena and deployed aircraft and ships to assist in search-and-rescue operations being coordinated by Sri Lanka.
In a statement, the Navy said a distress message from IRIS Dena was received at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Colombo in the early hours of Wednesday, as reported by the Sri Lankan Navy. The vessel was operating about 20 nautical miles west of Galle, in a search-and-rescue (SAR) region under Sri Lankan responsibility.
The Navy said it initiated its response by deploying a long-range maritime patrol aircraft, P-8I, at 10 am on Wednesday to support search efforts already underway by Sri Lankan authorities.
Another aircraft equipped with air-droppable life rafts was kept on standby for immediate deployment, the statement stated.
The sailing vessel INS Tarangini, which was operating nearby, was also diverted to assist the rescue effort and reached the search area by 4 pm on Wednesday. By then, the Sri Lankan Navy and other agencies had already begun SAR operations.
In addition, survey vessel INS Ikshak sailed from Kochi and continues to remain in the area to search for missing personnel as part of the humanitarian effort for shipwrecked sailors, the statement said. Coordination with Sri Lankan authorities on the rescue effort is ongoing.
The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was reportedly struck by an American torpedo on Wednesday while returning to Iran after participating in the multinational naval exercise MILAN and the International Fleet Review held in Visakhapatnam last month.
Addressing Parliament, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said the country’s military rescued 32 “critically wounded” sailors after receiving information that the vessel, which had about 180 people on board, was in distress. Sri Lanka responded by dispatching naval ships and aircraft to the area.
The incident has drawn attention within India’s defence and security establishment as the vessel had recently sailed from Indian waters and was sunk in the region’s strategic maritime neighbourhood. It comes amid an escalation in tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Team BharatShakti
