The Sri Lanka Navy has rescued 30 of the 180 sailors aboard the Iranian Navy ship IRIS Dena that capsized 40 nautical miles off the Galle coast, Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath said in Parliament today.
The 30 rescued people have been taken to the Karapitiya Hospital by the Navy’s rescue unit, and an Air Force surveillance aircraft has been dispatched to the area where the ship capsized, the Minister said.
The Iranian ship did not capsize in Sri Lankan waters, but the operation was carried out because it is a responsibility to save lives, and further steps are being taken in this regard in accordance with international conventions, the Minister said.
The Navy has launched a rescue operation following a report received at around 5.08 this morning that a ship was sinking in the sea off Galle.