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A second Iranian ship has been reported in waters close to Sri Lanka and has sought emergency permission to dock, a day after a US submarine sank an Iranian frigate, killing more than 80 people onboard.
The Sri Lankan minister Nalinda Jayatissa told parliament that another Iranian vessel was sailing close to Sri Lanka’s territorial waters on Thursday morning. “We are making necessary interventions to resolve this issue, restrict the threat to lives and to ensure regional security,” said Jayatissa.
Sources told the Guardian the second Iranian ship was a military logistical support vessel. It may be as close as 10 nautical miles from the western coast of Sri Lanka, putting it within the country’s sovereign waters.
The sources said the ship, which is reported to have a crew of more than 100, had made an urgent request to dock at Colombo port for engine repairs.
On Tuesday night, a US torpedo destroyed the IRIS Dena, an Iranian warship, as it headed back home after taking part in a military training exercise in India. The attack quickly sank the vessel and killed at least 84 sailors.
According to the Sri Lankan opposition MP Namal Rajapaksa, the second ship has sought the government’s permission to make an urgent port call but is yet to be given clearance.
The president of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, was meeting with his cabinet and defence officials on Thursday to decide on a response.
The targeting of the IRIS Dena marked an escalation of the US-Israeli assault on Iran, which began over the weekend.
In the first Iranian response to the ship’s sinking, the country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the US would “bitterly regret” the attack. “The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores,” he said, in a statement on X. “Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning.”
Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, Vijitha Herath, said he had spoken with Araghchi on Wednesday to “express grave concern” over the escalation of hostilities, and called for diplomatic dialogue.
The Sri Lankan navy and coastguard responded to a distress call from the IRIS Dena in the early hours of Wednesday morning. But by the time they arrived, the vessel had sunk and there was only an oil slick remaining, with survivors clinging to life rafts.
The navy’s rescue operation for missing sailors from the frigate continued on Thursday, with several more bodies reportedly retrieved from the sea.
Military and police security remained tight at the main hospital in Galle, where 32 rescued Iranians were being treated. Most survivors were reported to have minor burns and fractures.
GK Malani, 70, a lottery ticket seller in Galle, said there was a lot of fear locally after the incident. “There were so many bodies brought in,” she said. “Everyone is very scared about the attack.”
KG Gunaratne, a patient at Galle hospital, said: “I was there when the injured were brought to the hospital. There was one who was completely unconscious, another with injuries to their hand.”
The scale of the disaster threatens to overwhelm the morgue at Galle hospital, which has capacity for 25 bodies. Hospital staff said the authorities were rushing to set up refrigerated shipping containers to preserve bodies until legal formalities, including inquests and autopsies, were completed.
Iranian diplomatic officials refused to make any comment on the incident. The Sri Lankan government confirmed that Iran had requested assistance in repatriating the bodies of its sailors once the formalities were completed.
One official, Thushara Rodrigo, said no decision had been made yet about the repatriation of the survivors. “It should be internally coordinated with the army, navy, and air force and reach the diplomatic missions,” he said.
