The Indian Navy deployed aircraft and ships to support ongoing search and rescue (SAR) operations following a distress call from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which sank in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka’s southern coast.
According to an official statement from the Indian Navy, a distress signal from the IRIS Dena was received at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Colombo in the early hours of March 4, 2026, as reported by the Sri Lankan Navy. The vessel was operating approximately 20 nautical miles west of Galle, within the SAR region under Sri Lankan responsibility.
The ship, a Moudge-class frigate of the Iranian Navy, had recently participated in India’s MILAN 2026 multinational naval exercise and International Fleet Review in Visakhapatnam before heading back toward Iran. It carried around 180 personnel onboard. The vessel sank after a torpedo strike from a US Navy submarine, marking the first such US combat sinking of an enemy warship since World War II, amid escalating tensions in the Iran-US-Israel conflict. Sri Lankan authorities have reported rescuing 32 survivors, recovering numerous bodies, and treating injured sailors in hospitals in Galle, while dozens remain missing. Around 100 people are feared dead in the incident.
In response to the incident, the Indian Navy promptly initiated humanitarian search and rescue efforts to augment those led by Sri Lanka. A long-range maritime patrol aircraft was deployed at 10 AM on March 4 to support the searches. Another aircraft equipped with air-droppable life rafts was placed on standby for immediate use if needed.
The naval training ship INS Tarangini, already operating in the vicinity, was diverted to assist and reached the search area by 4 PM on March 4. By that time, primary search and rescue activities were being handled by the Sri Lankan Navy and other local agencies.
Additionally, INS Ikshak sailed from Kochi to reinforce the efforts and remains in the area to continue searching for missing personnel as a humanitarian measure for the shipwrecked crew, Indian Navy said. Coordination with Sri Lankan authorities on the SAR operations is ongoing.
