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Sri Lanka Court Orders Release of 84 Iranian Sailors’ Bodies to Iran’s Embassy

The ruling followed forensic identification under Sri Lankan law after the March 4 sinking of the Iranian frigate off Galle.

Overview

  • Galle Chief Magistrate Sameera Dodangoda directed Karapitiya Teaching Hospital to hand over 84 identified remains to Iranian diplomats for repatriation.
  • Sri Lankan authorities recovered 84 bodies and rescued 32 survivors from the IRIS Dena, with the remains stored under refrigeration at Galle National Hospital.
  • Colombo granted 30‑day humanitarian visas to more than 200 crew from the IRIS Bushehr after reported engine failure kept the vessel near Sri Lanka, with plans to relocate it to Trincomalee.
  • A leaked U.S. Embassy cable attributed to Charge d’Affaires Jayne Howell urged Sri Lanka not to repatriate surviving Iranian crew, according to media reports.
  • Local reports state the IRIS Dena was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine after participating in an Indian naval exercise, and published death tolls vary between 84 bodies recovered and reports of up to 87 fatalities.