The Indian Navy sent help immediately after receiving an emergency message, after the warship sank following a US submarine attack:Stations in Colombo were the first to receive the message from the Iranian warship

News Topical, Digital Desk : The Indian Navy on Thursday said it decided to join the search and rescue operation after receiving a distress call from the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which sank after being hit by a torpedo fired by a US submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka.

The Iranian warship was returning to its country after participating in the naval Milan exercise held in India. The Indian Navy said in a statement that it immediately launched its search and rescue efforts with a long-range maritime patrol aircraft at 10 a.m. on Wednesday to augment the rescue operations conducted by Sri Lanka. Another aircraft carrying air-droppable lifeboats was also kept ready for immediate deployment.

INS Tarangini, which was operating in the vicinity, was deployed to assist in the rescue efforts. It arrived at the area where the rescue operation was underway at 4 p.m. By that time, search and rescue operations by the Sri Lankan Navy and other agencies had concluded.

The Indian Navy said that as per reports from the Sri Lankan Navy, a "distress call" from IRIS Dena was received at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres in Colombo in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The Iranian vessel was in the Sri Lankan area of responsibility, 20 nautical miles west of Galle.

Upon receiving the information, the Indian Navy immediately launched its search efforts, augmenting the search efforts with a long-range maritime patrol aircraft.

Another Indian naval ship, INS Ikshak, was also dispatched from Kochi to augment the search efforts and remains deployed in the area to locate the missing persons, the statement said. According to the Navy, coordination with the Sri Lankan side on search and rescue efforts is ongoing.

US submarine attacked warship without warning: Iranian diplomat

Iran's Consul General in Mumbai, Saeed Reza Mosayeb Motlagh, said on Thursday that the US submarine that sank the Iranian naval ship in the Indian Ocean did not issue any prior warning and attacked suddenly, causing an explosion on the ship.

Motlagh said that the ship named 'Iris Dena' had come to India for naval exercises and was returning home after the exercise when it was attacked.

There was also a helicopter on board the vessel.

He said that when a ship arrives for such exercises, it does not carry sufficient ammunition. Whatever limited ammunition it has is usually used up during the exercise itself.

Therefore, it can be said that the ship had practically no military ammunition. He called the US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic unjust.

One of Iran's newest warships, the Iris Dena, was a deep-sea patrol frigate. It was equipped with heavy artillery, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, and torpedoes. It also carried a helicopter.