Kamal Ghorui
A second Iranian warship is heading towards Sri Lanka on Thursday, a day after a US submarine destroyed an Iranian frigate in the Indian Ocean.Sri Lanka’s media minister, Nalinda Jayatissa, told parliament that the vessel was just outside the island nation’s territorial waters but did not provide further details.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has meanwhile met senior officials to discuss how to respond to Iran’s request to allow the ship to enter Sri Lankan waters for safety, news agency AFP reported, citing sources.
According to the report, the warship is carrying more than 100 crew members, who fear they could face the same fate as a sister vessel that was sunk by a US submarine off Sri Lanka’s southern coast on Wednesday.In that attack, a US submarine destroyed the Iranian frigate **IRIS Dena**, killing at least 87 sailors. The strike has emerged as one of the most dramatic naval incidents in the widening Middle East crisis.Authorities in the southern port city of **Galle** were preparing on Thursday to hand over the remains of the 87 Iranian sailors killed in the torpedo strike claimed by the US military.Officials at the main hospital in Galle said 32 rescued Iranian sailors were still receiving treatment under tight security provided by police and elite commandos. The Emergency Treatment Unit has been closed to visitors and other patients, with a separate ward arranged for the injured crew.“Most of them have minor injuries, but a few suffered fractures and burns,” a nurse at the hospital said.Sri Lankan navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath said naval vessels were continuing search operations for missing Iranian sailors.The frigate had issued a distress call early Wednesday morning but had already sunk by the time a Sri Lankan rescue vessel reached the site. The attack took place about 40 kilometres south of Galle, according to local naval authorities.The warship had been returning after taking part in a military exercise in Visakhapatnam, an eastern port city in India.Iran has not yet officially commented on the sinking.Sri Lanka has maintained a neutral stance and repeatedly called for dialogue to resolve the conflict in the Middle East. Iran is also a key buyer of Sri Lankan tea, the island nation’s main export commodity.
