In an incident on Sunday involving an Iranian Navy’s light support vessel in the country’s southern waters, 19 personnel were killed and 15 others were injured, according to the Navy.
The vessel, called Konarak, was conducting a training exercise with several other naval ships near Jask and Chabahar ports in the Sea of Oman at the time of the incident, a statement on the Iranian Army's website said on Monday.
“Naval relief and rescue teams promptly reached the location, retrieving the injured and the martyrs from the vessel and transferring them to medical centers,” the statement read, adding that the injured people are now in stable condition.
The wrecked vessel has been transferred to a local pier for technical inspections.
The Navy expressed condolences to the families of the martyrs and advised against any speculation before detailed investigations by expert teams are completed.
It also dismissed reports that the warship was destroyed during the incident, saying the vessel was later towed away to the shore.
Major General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, also later offered his condolences to all Army staff and families of the victims in a message to Army Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi.
Konarak is one of the Iranian Navy’s Hendijan-class ships extending support and logistic services. It is capable of carrying 460 tons of cargo and 100 troops.
It, however, was overhauled in 2018 to be able to launch anti-ship cruise missiles and can serve as a patrolling ship.
The Dutch-made, 47-meter vessel had been in service since 1988.
