NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy on Thursday said it diverted an American-origin P-8I aircraft along with naval ships after receiving a distress call from the Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dena, which was operating in the Sri Lanka's Search and Rescue (SAR) region, to assist ongoing rescue operations.
The Iranian warship had recently participated in the Indian Navy’s International Fleet Review and the multinational naval exercise Exercise Milan held in Visakhapatnam from February 16 to 25 and was on its return voyage to Iran. However, It sank in the Indian Ocean early on Wednesday after being hit by a torpedo fired by a US Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine amid the ongoing US-Israel and Iran conflict.
“A distress call from IRIS Dena was received at the MRCC Colombo in the early hours of Wednesday as reported by the Sri Lankan Navy. The ship was operating 20 NM west of Galle in the SAR (search and rescue) region under Sri Lankan responsibility,” the Navy said in a statement.
According to the Navy, the distress alert was relayed through the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Colombo, following which Indian assets were deployed to assist the search efforts being led by Sri Lanka.
“On receipt of the information, the Indian Navy promptly launched its SAR efforts commencing with a long-range maritime patrol aircraft at 1000 hr on Wednesday to augment the search efforts led by Sri Lanka,” the statement said.
The long-range maritime patrol aircraft referred to in the statement is the P-8I Poseidon, the Navy’s primary submarine-hunting and maritime surveillance platform acquired from the United States.
Last month, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared the procurement of six additional P-8I aircraft from the US for the Navy.
The Navy further said another aircraft equipped with air-droppable life rafts had also been kept on standby for immediate deployment. The sail training vessel INS Tarangini, which was operating in the vicinity, was also diverted to assist in the rescue effort.
“INS Tarangini which was operating in the vicinity was deployed for aiding the rescue efforts and arrived in the search area by 1600 hr on Wednesday. By this time SAR had been undertaken by the Sri Lankan Navy and other agencies,” the statement said.
The Navy also said the hydrographic survey vessel INS Ikshak had sailed from Kochi to reinforce the ongoing operation.
“INS Ikshak has also sailed from Kochi to augment the search efforts and continues to remain in the area to search for missing personnel as a humanitarian measure for shipwrecked personnel. Coordination with the Sri Lankan side on Search and Rescue efforts is ongoing,” the statement added.
The Chief of the Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, had also travelled to Visakhapatnam for the engagements, attending the IFR, the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs and Exercise Milan hosted by the Indian Navy.
Of the roughly 130 personnel onboard, around 30 injured sailors were evacuated by Sri Lankan forces, while at least 87 deaths have been confirmed. The remaining crew members are still missing, potentially pushing the toll close to 100.