Sri Lanka court orders Iranian sailors’ bodies to be handed to embassy

Sri Lanka’s court has ruled that the bodies of 84 Sri Lankan sailors killed in a torpedo attack on an Iranian naval vessel off its coast should be handed over to Iran’s embassy. The court order was issued last Wednesday, following a request from Galle Harbour Police in southern port city Galle.

The IRIS Dena warship had been partaking in a joint Indian naval exercise when it was hit by a submarine torpedo, amid heightened tensions and economic upheaval fueled by the ongoing conflict between the US and Israel against Iran. The vessel sank near Sri Lanka’s coast, resulting in 84 fatalities from the Sri Lankan crew.

The bodies are currently held at Galle National Hospital morgue. In response to the incident, Sri Lanka has granted 30-day entry visas to a group of 208 Iranian sailors who were rescued by the nation after their vessel experienced engine troubles in the same area. Deputy Defense Minister Aruna Jayasekera told Reuters that they are now consulting with Tehran about repatriating these survivors.

The second Iranian naval ship, IRIS Booshehr, is docked nine nautical miles from Sri Lanka’s coast and will eventually be moved to Trincomalee harbor on the eastern coastline. This aligns with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s announcement that they would move the vessel.

Washington has expressed concerns over Sri Lanka not repatriating the Iranian survivors, citing key trade partnerships. The US accounts for approximately 40% of Sri Lanka’s apparel exports and Iran is one of its primary tea importers. Both countries hold significant economic influence on Sri Lanka, with Washington being a major player in Sri Lanka’s apparel market while Iran holds an important position as a buyer of Sri Lankan tea.

As of Tuesday, the third Iranian warship, IRIS Lavan, was docked at Kochi’s port, with 183 crew members aboard. The fate of this vessel is yet to be determined but may follow similar repatriation requests from Tehran.