Dozens of people have been rescued from a sinking Iranian naval ship off Sri Lanka’s southern coast as the Middle East conflict reaches its fifth day.
Dr Anil Jasinghe, a top Sri Lankan health ministry official, said 32 people were rescued and of those one of them is in critical condition, seven are receiving emergency treatment and others are treated for minor injuries.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Israel-Iran conflict continues into fifth day
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Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Sri Lankan Parliament that the country’s navy received information that the ship IRIS Dena with 180 onboard was under distress, and that the island nation sent ships and air force planes on a rescue mission.
It was unclear who attacked the ship, which sources in Sri Lanka’s navy and defence ministry said had now sunk.
A Sri Lankan navy spokesman said the report of 101 people being missing was not true, and 32 people injured in the incident had been rescued by Sri Lankan navy and were under treatment in hospital.
The sources said one of the people brought to the hospital had died.
An Iranian naval ship signalled it was in distress off the coast of Galle in southern Sri Lanka. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP
The IRIS Dena is one of Iran’s newest warships and was the centerpiece of a two-ship international tour in 2023 that included port calls in countries including South Africa and Brazil. It was accompanied by the support ship IRIS Makran, a converted oil tanker.
The US Treasury Department included both ships on a sanctions designation in February 2023 along with eight executives of an Iranian drone manufacturer that supplied the weapons to Russia for use against civilian targets in Ukraine.
Israel-Iran conflict reaches fifth day
It comes as the Middle East conflict reaches its fifth day as Israel steps up attacks on Iranian missile launchers and weapons factories, launching “broad scale strikes targeting Iranian terror regime targets in Tehran” on Wednesday.
This marks the tenth such wave of attacks since the latest conflict began on Saturday, according to the Israel Defence Force.
Earlier Wednesday, it said its overnight strikes had targeted what it described as command centers used by Iran’s feared internal security forces and the Basij militia.
In retaliation, Iran has fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel and launched drone attacks across the Gulf, including hitting the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
But Israel says it is seeing a decline in launches from Iran as the campaign enters its fifth day, military spokesperson Effie Defrin said.
Defrin also said Israel is not surprised by any new weapons Iran may use and had prepared extensively for the confrontation.
He said Israel would continue to “hunt and destroy” Iran’s military capabilities.
Workers remove the rubble of a police facility struck during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Credit: Vahid Salemi/AP
It comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused US President Donald Trump of bombing Iran “out of spite.”
In a post on X Wednesday, Araghchi said: “When complex nuclear negotiations are treated like a real estate transaction, and when big lies cloud realities, unrealistic expectations can never be met.”
“The outcome? Bombing the negotiation table out of spite,” he added. “Mr Trump betrayed diplomacy and Americans who elected him.”
Bombardments in Lebanon are also continuing on Wednesday by Israel. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported an airstrike in Aramoun, south of the capital Beirut, killed at least six people.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburb, near Rafik Hariri International Airport, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Credit: Bilal Hussein/AP
Lebanon’s state National News Agency also reported strikes on a hotel in Hazmieh, close to Beirut, and in southern Lebanon.
Nearly 800 people have been killed in Iran after four days of war, according to officials, 50 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel.
China calls for end of military action on Iran
Meanwhile, China’s foreign minister called for an end to Israel’s military action on Iran during a phone conversation with his Israeli counterpart, according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed China’s stance of settling international and regional issues through “dialogue and consultation,” during the call with Israel’s Gideon Sa’ar, a statement from the ministry said.
“The recent negotiations between Iran and the US had been making notable progress, which also took into account Israel’s security concerns,” the statement said. “Regrettably, this process has been disrupted by military strikes.”
A plume of smoke rises following a U.S.-Israeli military strike in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Credit: Vahid Salemi/AP
China “calls for immediate cessation of military actions to prevent the conflict from further escalating and spiraling out of control,” the statement said.
The statement stressed that China opposes the strikes launched by Israel and the US against Iran. “The use of force cannot truly solve problems. Instead, it will create new ones and leave severe aftereffects.”
China relies heavily on Gulf Arab states for its energy imports, which are now under threat due to the ongoing war.
– With AAP, CNN.
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