Sri Lanka announced on Friday that it will repatriate the remains of 84 Iranian sailors who were killed when their frigate, IRIS Dena, was sunk by a U.S. submarine torpedo nine days ago while sailing in international waters, far from the main theatre of the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The operation will be carried out using a chartered aircraft dispatched by Iran, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed. Spokesman Thushara Rodrigo told AFP that arrangements for the repatriation had been finalised. The Iranian embassy also confirmed the bodies are scheduled to return, according to Reuters.
The attack on March 4 off the coast of Sri Lanka, which killed the sailors, marked a dramatic escalation of the conflict and has drawn criticism as a potential violation of international law.
“The 32 sailors who were rescued by our navy will remain in Sri Lanka,” Rodrigo said, noting that the International Committee of the Red Cross had been contacted regarding the injured sailors but was not involved in the repatriation of the deceased.
A second Iranian warship, IRIS Bushehr, entered Sri Lankan waters a day after the Dena was sunk. Sri Lanka is providing safe harbour for the vessel and its crew of 219.
Authorities said discussions have not yet begun regarding the repatriation of the Bushehr crew or those rescued from the Dena, but they will be treated according to Colombo’s treaty obligations.
Of the 32 Dena sailors rescued and hospitalised, 22 have since been discharged and are being held at an air force facility in southern Sri Lanka, separated from the Bushehr crew. In total, Sri Lanka is currently hosting 251 Iranian sailors.
The Bushehr crew remains at the same camp while the vessel is under the supervision of the Sri Lankan navy, which is attempting to repair one of its two engines reported to be malfunctioning.
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