The Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Air Force launched a joint rescue operation after an Iranian vessel IRIS Dena, a Moudge-class frigate in the Southern Fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, sent out a distress call off the coast of Galle.
Navy Spokesman said that a rescue mission was initiated to evacuate the crew on board, as the incident occurred within Sri Lanka’s search and rescue area
It was reported that the vessel had sent out a distress call after it was hit.
Accordingly, 30 crew members of the vessel were rescued and admitted to the Karapitiya Hospital. It was also reported that at least 180 crew members are aboard the vessel.
The vessel also participated in the MILAN 26 fleet review at Visakhapatnam, India, recently.