Sri Lanka Court Orders Handover of 84 Iranian Sailors’ Bodies to Embassy

A Sri Lankan court on Wednesday ordered the handover of 84 bodies of Iranian sailors to Iran's embassy . The sailors were killed in a US attack on the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s southern coast.

The Galle Chief Magistrate, Sameera Dodangoda , directed the director of Galle National Hospital where the bodies are currently stored in two freezer containers to hand them over, following a request from the Galle Harbour Police.

Last week, Sri Lanka recovered the 84 bodies after the submarine attack sank IRIS Dena. The frigate was returning to Iran from Visakhapatnam, India , having participated in a naval fleet review exercise . Along with the deceased, 32 survivors were brought to Galle National Hospital last Thursday. Due to limited morgue capacity, the bodies were kept in makeshift refrigeration arrangements.

The 32 survivors were discharged on Sunday and moved to the Sri Lanka Air Force base at Koggala . They are expected to be transferred to the naval facility at Welisara , near Colombo, where 204 sailors from another Iranian ship, IRIS Bushehr, have been staying since last Friday. The IRIS Bushehr remains anchored outside Colombo port due to engine trouble and is planned to be moved to Trincomalee, in eastern Sri Lanka.

Earlier, the Sri Lankan government had stated that the bodies would remain in the country until conditions allowed for safe repatriation .

This order comes amid ongoing diplomatic coordination between Sri Lanka and Iran to ensure that the deceased sailors are returned respectfully to their homeland.