80 killed as US submarine hits Iran ship near Lanka

05-Mar-2026

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At least 80 people were killed when a US submarine struck and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka, the country’s deputy foreign minister said on local television on March 4.

The announcement came after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that an American submarine had carried out the strike on the Iranian vessel near Sri Lanka’s southern coast.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath had earlier told parliament that around 180 people were on board the Moudge-class frigate IRIS Dena when it went down about 40 nautical miles from the island after issuing a distress call.

“A US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka,” Hegseth said, hours after Sri Lankan authorities confirmed that an Iranian naval vessel had gone down in international waters.

Sri Lankan authorities said 32 people had been rescued and several bodies recovered from the sea. The injured were being treated at a state-run hospital in the southern port city of Galle.

“We are hopeful we can rescue more people and will continue operations until we are sure,” Sri Lankan navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said.

He added, “Cannot give details on the number of dead as of now.”

Sampath said rescue boats that reached the site did not see the ship and observed only an oil slick. The navy received a distress call from the Iranian vessel and informed the Sri Lanka Air Force, with both launching a coordinated search and rescue operation.

“The ship is a military vessel. Incident took place beyond Sri Lankan waters but Sri Lanka is committed to providing support,” he said.