Sri Lanka to repatriate remains of 84 Iranian sailors killed in US attack on frigate
The Straits Times
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COLOMBO – Sri Lanka on March 13 will repatriate the remains of 84 Iranian sailors who perished when their frigate was sunk nine days ago by a US submarine, the Foreign Ministry said.
The seamen were killed when IRIS Dena was torpedoed on March 4 just off the coast of Sri Lanka, in a move that extended the Middle East war to the Indian Ocean.
“All domestic procedures have been completed, and the Iranians are bringing a chartered aircraft for the repatriation,” spokesman Thushara Rodrigo told AFP.
“The 32 sailors who were rescued by our navy will remain in Sri Lanka.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had been contacted regarding the injured sailors, but they were not involved in the repatriation of the bodies, Mr Rodrigo said.
A second Iranian warship, IRIS Bushehr, was allowed into Sri Lankan waters a day after the Dena was sunk.
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