Iranian sailors recovering in Sri Lankan hospital after US submarine attack, authorities say

At least 87 were killed in the attack on March 4. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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GALLE, Sri Lanka – Iranian sailors who survived a US submarine strike in the Indian Ocean were recovering at a hospital in the Sri Lankan port city of Galle, the authorities said on March 5, a day after at least 87 were killed in the attack.

The authorities at the National Hospital in Galle and navy sources said 87 bodies were brought in by military rescuers who responded to an early-morning distress call from the IRIS Dena on March 4.

Search and rescue operations for an estimated 60 people on board who remain unaccounted for would continue on March 5, the authorities said.

The 32 rescued sailors were being treated for minor injuries and could be released from hospital on March 5, the authorities said. Two policemen guarded the entrance to ward No. 58 of the hospital as nurses milled about and doctors conducted morning rounds.

The attack, which dramatically widens the scope of the war, happened hundreds of kilometres across the Indian Ocean from the Gulf, where US and Israeli forces are striking Iran and Tehran is retaliating with missile and drone attacks.