Submarine attack on Iranian ship off Sri Lanka leaves 32 injured

A submarine attack on an Iranian ship off the coast of Sri Lanka has left 32 people injured, with search and rescue operations still underway, Sri Lankan navy officials said on Wednesday, March 4.

The Sri Lankan navy has corrected earlier reports of mass casualties, clarifying that initial figures suggesting over 100 missing were inaccurate.

A Sri Lankan navy spokesman confirmed that 32 people injured in the incident have been rescued by the navy and are currently receiving treatment in hospital.

Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that the navy had responded to a distress call from the ship and launched rescue operations at 6:00 am local time.

Local media reported that the ship had signalled distress off the coast of Galle in southern Sri Lanka, with the injured admitted to a hospital in the city.

It remains unclear who was responsible for the attack on the vessel, which sources said has now sunk.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the region following recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliatory attacks.

A search and rescue operation is ongoing, and authorities have not ruled out the possibility of further updates as the situation develops.