The terrifying day the U.S.-Iran war reached a sleepy Sri Lankan town

A deadly strike during the first days of the Iran war hit far away in the Indian Ocean, jolting a quiet seaside town and showing how far the conflict's reach extends. ADRIAN FLORIDO, HOST: Much of the latest war in the Middle East has happened in the Middle East, as you would expect. But one of the war's deadliest attacks took place thousands of miles away in the Indian Ocean, shaking a sleepy seaside town. And a warning - this piece contains descriptions of the retrieval of victims after a military strike. NPR's Diaa Hadid has the story. DIAA HADID, BYLINE: Fisherman Anil Kumara unloads his catch at the fishing harbor in Galle in Southern Sri Lanka. Dogs bark at crows snatching sardines in silvery flashes. (SOUNDBITE OF DOGS BARKING) HADID: Kumara says it was a day like this when the war came to these shores. (SOUNDBITE OF BOAT ENGINE RUNNING) ANIL KUMARA: (Speaking Sinhala). HADID: He saw men unload bodies from a Sri Lankan navy vessel. Their pier is just a few dozen feet away. They were the remains of sailors from an Iranian naval vessel, the IRS (ph) Dena. It had just left an Indian port after participating in a ceremonial naval exercise. But on March 4, during the peak of fighting between Israel and the U.S. against Iran... (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It is getting more and more bizarre. A submarine attack on an Iranian ship... HADID: That's Indian broadcaster NDTV. U.S. …