New Delhi, March 5 -- : A day after 87 Iranian sailors onboard IRIS Dena were killed following a torpedo strike by a United States submarine in the Indian Ocean, the Indian Navy on Thursday acknowledged receiving a distress call from the sinking vessel and launching extensive search and rescue (SAR) operations soon after.
IRIS Dena had earlier participated in the International Fleet Review 2026 and Milan 2026, hosted by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam. The exercise ended on February 25.
In a statement, the Indian Navy said, "A distress call from IRIS Dena was received at the MRCC Colombo in the early hours of March 4, as reported by the Sri Lankan Navy." The vessel was operating "20 nautical miles west of Galle in the SAR region under Sr...