Kathmandu. Sri Lanka has rescued 32 crew members of Iran’s frigate Iris Dena with injuries, Foreign Minister Wijitha Herath said.

The cause of the crash was not yet known, but the injured were taken to a hospital for treatment, Herath said.

Earlier, 180 crew members were reported to be in distress.

Sri Lanka’s defence ministry said it was searching for the other crew members of the IRIS Dena that crashed about 40 km south of the island.

AFP quoted officials as saying that although the search was continuing, it was unlikely that the remaining members would be found alive.

Two aircraft of the Sri Lankan army have been deployed for the rescue operation, Herath said.

“They were rescued as part of Sri Lanka’s maritime obligations and taken to hospital for treatment,” NA spokeswoman Buddhika Sampath said.

“Sri Lanka is in a search and rescue zone in the Indian Ocean, so it has addressed the call for a crisis as part of its international obligation,” the report said.

Both Sri Lanka’s army and air force said they had not released footage of the rescue operation, while police had stepped up security at Galle Hospital premises as wounded Iranians were brought in for treatment.