"A Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson said rescuers found 'people floating on the water' after responding to a distress signal from an Iranian navy ship near the country’s coast, adding that 32 crew members had been rescued so far in the ongoing search-and-rescue operation. "While doing a search operation, we found people floating on the water and rescued them. Later on, subsequently, when we enquired them, we found that they, those people, are belonging to the Iranian ship," Commander Buddhika Sampath said. An Iranian Navy frigate that had participated in the Indian Navy’s International Fleet Review (IFR) and the multinational Exercise Milan in Visakhapatnam in mid-February was struck by a torpedo fired by a United States Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) in the Indian Ocean Region early Wednesday, amid the escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran. The Sri Lankan Navy recovered the bodies of 87 sailors from waters near the southern city of Galle, while 61 others remain missing. “Once we received the distress signal, and we dispatched the first craft early morning, when they reached that place, we could not find the ship, but we found slight oil and a floating life raft in that particular area," the spokesperson said. "But I can confirm that ship belongs to the Iranian navy." Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that about 180 people were on board the Iranian vessel, which he identified as IRIS Dena. The Moudge-class frigate went down about 40 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s coast on Wednesday after issuing a distress call, Sri Lankan officials said. A video released by the US Department of War on X shows a torpedo striking the vessel, triggering an underwater explosion that tore the ship apart, sending a large plume of water into the air. The attack marks a significant escalation in US operations against the Iranian navy, coming on the heels of US and Israeli strikes on Iran that began with joint attacks on Saturday. Tehran said it was retaliating with strikes on Israel and US assets across the region, with explosions reported throughout the Gulf. This comes after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed dead in a strike on Saturday."