Rescue workers have found around 80 bodies at the site of an Iranian ship sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka's Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra told Ada Derana.

"Around 80 bodies have already been recovered from the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Dena," the deputy minister said.

Hemachandra noted that the ship was on its way back to Iran from a port in India when it was sunk in an attack by a US Navy submarine.

According to the Daily Mirror, IRIS Dena is assigned to Iran's Southern Naval Fleet and had recently participated in naval exercises in India.

On March 3, Iranian media confirmed US Central Command's (CENTCOM) report on the destruction of the only IRGC Navy aircraft carrier designed for transporting and launching drones. US military claims the ship was attacked several hours after the start of the US-Israeli military operation against Iran on February 28.