More than 200 Iranian crew members from two warships rescued by Sri Lanka have returned to Iran, officials said on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka rescued 32 crew members from the Iranian warship IRIS Dena on March 4 after it was hit by a torpedo from a United States submarine. The vessel was returning from a naval exercise organized by India at the time of the incident.
A day later, Sri Lankan authorities assisted another 200-plus crew members from a second vessel, IRIS Booshehr, which reported engine trouble near Colombo and requested help.
Sri Lanka’s Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekera said the crew of both ships departed on a special flight late on April 14. Authorities had granted them 30-day visas and housed them in navy and air force facilities before arranging their return.
After disembarking its crew, IRIS Booshehr was towed to waters off Trincomalee on Sri Lanka’s eastern coast. Officials said a small number of Iranian personnel remain onboard to assist with operations.
Iran also repatriated the bodies of 84 sailors who were killed in the attack on IRIS Dena.
The incident marked an expansion of the ongoing conflict into the Indian Ocean, with Sri Lanka providing assistance on humanitarian grounds while maintaining its neutral position.
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