Bodies of 84 Iranian Sailors Repatriated

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The bodies of the 84 sailors who were aboard the Iranian ship IRIS Dena, which sank in the southern seas of Sri Lanka following a torpedo attack, were taken to Iran last night.

The bodies were transported on a special aircraft that arrived from Türkiye.

The remains, which were in the custody of the Galle National Hospital, were handed over to officials from the Embassy of Iran in Sri Lanka.

Earlier, the Galle Magistrate's Court issued an order permitting the release of the bodies of the Iranian sailors, which had been stored in two mobile cold storage units at the Karapitiya National Hospital, to Iranian embassy officials.

The IRIS Dena sank in the southern seas of Sri Lanka on March 4.

Following the intervention of the Sri Lanka Navy, 32 sailors on board were rescued and admitted to the Karapitiya National Hospital.

The hospital’s Director said that three of them are still receiving inpatient treatment, while the others were discharged after treatment and handed over to the Navy.