The Ministry of Defence said today (13) that arrangements have been made to send to Iran the bodies of 84 Iranian sailors who died aboard the ship IRIS DENA, which was attacked by the United States in the southern seas off Sri Lanka.
A special aircraft carrying the bodies is scheduled to depart today (13) from Mattala International Airport, the Ministry added. The repatriation is being coordinated with the Iranian Embassy in Sri Lanka.
The 84 bodies, which had been kept in two mobile cold storage units at Galle National Hospital, were transported to Mattala by lorry following a court order. Forty-five bodies were moved early this morning, and the remaining 39 were transported this afternoon.
Earlier this month, the Iranian Navy ship suffered an accident about 40 nautical miles off Galle Port, with around 180 people on board. Thirty-five rescued sailors were admitted to Karapitiya Hospital, while 84 bodies were recovered.
Following the incident, U.S. Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth confirmed that the Iranian ship had been sunk in international waters by a torpedo fired from an American submarine. (Newswire)
