Iranian sailors who survived a US submarine strike in the Indian Ocean were recovering at a hospital in the Sri Lankan port city of Galle, authorities said on Thursday, a day after at least 87 were killed in the attack, reports Reuters.

Authorities at the National Hospital in Galle and navy sources said 87 bodies were brought in by military rescuers who responded to an early-morning distress call from the IRIS Dena on Wednesday.

Search and rescue operations for an estimated 60 people on board who remain unaccounted for would continue on Thursday, authorities said.

The 32 rescued sailors were being treated for minor injuries and could be released from hospital on Thursday, authorities said.