Sri Lanka Returns Remains Of Iranian Sailors

Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry says the remains of 84 Iranian sailors killed in a U.S submarine attack on March 4 have been handed over to Iranian representatives to be repatriated.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Thushara Rodrigo said the ministry completed the procedure for repatriating the remains of foreigners and handed over the bodies of the crew members from Iranian warship IRIS Dena.

They will be flown to Iran from Hambantota airport in southern Sri Lanka on Friday, he said.

Another 32 sailors from IRIS Dena were rescued by Sri Lanka’s navy.

More than 200 Iranian sailors also were brought ashore by Sri Lanka’s navy from a second Iranian warship. The vessels were returning from a naval exercise in India.