Tehran Requests Return of All IRIS Dena Dead; Sri Lanka Races to Secure Cold Storage

by Zulfick Farzan 05-03-2026 | 12:59 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st); Nearly 90 bodies of those who died when an Iranian naval vessel sank following a torpedo attack by an American submarine in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka have been brought to the Karapitiya National Hospital, according to authorities.

Deputy Health Minister Hansaka Wijemuni said the Iranian government has informed Sri Lanka that the bodies need to be repatriated to Iran.

Until those arrangements are completed, the remains will be kept in hospital cold rooms.

Hansaka Wijemuni said Karapitiya received close to 90 bodies by last night, and the number could increase.

He noted that Sri Lanka follows a standard procedure of conducting post-mortem examinations and consulting the respective countries for instructions on handling the bodies.

He said Iran had notified Sri Lanka that it wishes to take back the bodies.

However, due to the ongoing military situation, the process cannot be completed immediately, requiring Sri Lanka to store the remains temporarily.

According to the Deputy Minister, Sri Lanka currently lacks sufficient long-term cold storage capacity for such a large number of bodies, and steps have been taken since last evening to purchase the required refrigeration units.

Work is underway today to place the bodies in appropriate cold storage facilities.

The Iranian naval vessel IRIS Dena sank at about 5:08 a.m. yesterday in international waters close to Sri Lanka following a torpedo attack.

Reuters reported that the ship had 180 people on board at the time.

Under international maritime agreements, Sri Lanka carried responsibility for the rescue and search operations in the sea region where the incident occurred.

A Sri Lanka Navy operation rescued 32 survivors, who are now receiving treatment at the Karapitiya National Hospital.

The bodies of those killed in the attack were brought to the hospital last night.

Security at the Karapitiya National Hospital has been tightened as the situation continues to unfold.