Remains of 45 Iranian sailors sent home

The bodies of 45 Iranian sailors, out of 84 who perished when the vessel Iris Dena was sunk in international waters off Galle, are scheduled to be repatriated to Iran today (13).

These remains had been stored in two cold storage facilities at the Galle National Hospital before being transported to the Mattala International Airport this morning.

The repatriation follows an order by Galle Chief Magistrate Sameera Dodangoda to hand over the bodies to the Iranian Embassy.

Arrangements are also being made to transport the remains of the remaining sailors back to Iran in the coming days.

The Iris Dena sank on March 4th after being struck by a torpedo from a U.S. submarine. The incident occurred in international waters, approximately 19 nautical miles off the coast of Galle.