At least 140 missing as Iranian navy ship sinks off the coast of Sri Lanka

Thursday, March, 5 2026 - About 140 people are missing after an Iranian navy ship sank off the coast of Sri Lanka. 

The Sri Lankan navy says around 180 people were on board, with 32 rescued. 

A spokesman tells the BBC the cause of the sinking is not known. 

Sri Lanka’s navy has confirmed that it’s rescued 32 people after it received a distress call from Iranian navy ship ‘IRIS Dena’ early this morning, March 4. 

Budhika Sampath, the spokesman of Sri Lanka’s navy says: “Though it was beyond our waters, it was within our search and rescue region. So we were obliged to respond as per international obligations.” 

He adds: “We found people floating on the water, rescued them, and later when we inquired we found that those people are from an Iranian ship.” 

He also says that according to the documentation of the ship 180 people are believed to have been on board, although the exact number of missing is unknown. 

The spokesman says at the time of launching the rescue operations they did not see the vessel but saw oil patches on the water and floating life rafts. 

He also tells the BBC that he rejects the reports of a submarine attack causing the sinking, and that the cause is unknown.

So far, Sri Lanka’s military has not been able to confirm what might have caused the ship to sink. 

Israel launched a fresh wave of strikes across the region, with several people reportedly killed in attacks on Lebanon that the IDF says were targeting Hezbollah operatives and facilities.