Overview
- Sri Lanka began sending home the remains of 84 sailors from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which was torpedoed off its coast on March 4, officials said.
- Foreign Ministry spokesman Thushara Rodrigo said domestic procedures were completed and Iran arranged a chartered aircraft for the repatriation.
- Thirty-two Dena survivors remain in Sri Lanka, with 22 discharged from hospital and held at an air force base away from other Iranian crews.
- Sri Lanka is holding 219 crew from the Iranian warship IRIS Bushehr at a navy camp while its navy has taken control of the vessel and is working to fix a malfunctioning engine.
- The ICRC was contacted regarding the injured sailors but is not involved in the body transfers, and a separate Iranian ship with 183 crew is in Indian custody at Kochi on humanitarian grounds.