Sri Lanka court directs release of 84 Iranian sailors’ bodies to Iran embassy

Colombo — A Sri Lankan court has ordered that the bodies of 84 Iranian sailors be handed over to the Iranian embassy, according to local media reports.

The sailors were reportedly aboard the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which, as per reports, was struck by a torpedo from a United States submarine while returning from a naval exercise organized by India. The incident resulted in the deaths of all 84 crew members on board.

Following the incident, Sri Lankan authorities recovered the bodies and brought them ashore. The court's decision now permits the transfer of the remains to Iranian officials for repatriation.

Further details regarding the timeline of the handover or the ongoing investigation into the incident were not provided in the media reports.

The IRIS Dena had participated in a multinational naval exercise before the reported attack. The circumstances surrounding the incident and the involvement of a US submarine have not been elaborated upon in the available reports.