Sri Lanka has announced it will repatriate the remains of 84 sailors from Iran who were killed when an Iranian naval vessel was destroyed earlier this month in an attack attributed to the United States.
According to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry, the sailors died after the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was struck by a torpedo on March 4 while sailing in international waters near the southern coast of the island nation. The incident occurred off the port city of Galle and marked a dramatic expansion of the ongoing Middle East conflict into the Indian Ocean.
Officials in Colombo said Iran has arranged a chartered aircraft to transport the bodies back home. Foreign Ministry spokesman Thushara Rodrigo confirmed that the repatriation process would begin shortly in coordination with Iranian diplomatic authorities.
While dozens of sailors perished in the attack, Sri Lanka’s navy managed to rescue 32 Iranian crew members from the sea. The survivors have been receiving medical treatment and assistance in Sri Lanka, where authorities say they will remain for the time being.
Sri Lankan officials stated that the rescued sailors are being treated according to international humanitarian obligations. Most of the injured crew have already been discharged from hospital and are currently being accommodated at a military facility in the southern part of the country.
A second Iranian naval vessel, the IRIS Bushehr, entered Sri Lankan waters a day after the sinking of the Dena and was granted safe harbour along with its 219 crew members. Sri Lanka’s navy has temporarily taken control of the ship while engineers attempt to repair one of its malfunctioning engines.
Altogether, Sri Lanka is currently hosting more than 250 Iranian sailors linked to the two vessels. Authorities have not yet announced when these sailors will be repatriated, saying the matter will be handled in line with international agreements.
Meanwhile, another Iranian vessel traveling through the region diverted to the southern Indian port of Kochi in India, where its 183 crew members were taken into custody for safety reasons.
Both Sri Lanka and India have said they provided refuge to the Iranian sailors on humanitarian grounds, amid concerns that further military strikes in the region could endanger vessels linked to Iran. The incident has heightened tensions in the Indian Ocean as the broader confrontation between Washington and Tehran continues to escalate.
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