An informed Indian official stated that a plane had previously departed from Sri Lanka carrying the bodies of 84 Iranian sailors who perished in an attack by an American submarine on a warship off the island’s coast last week. The official added that the aircraft landed in the southern Indian city of Kochi before departing again, this time carrying sailors from another Iranian vessel, along with Iranian tourists stranded in India.
An Iranian source confirmed the takeoff from Kochi, but refrained from specifying the destination or providing further details due to security concerns. The Iranian warship “Dina” was struck by a torpedo from an American submarine on March 4th while returning from naval maneuvers in India. Two other Iranian ships, “Lavan” and “Bushehr,” were also participating in the drills.
A Sri Lankan court ordered the surrender of the sailors’ bodies to the Iranian embassy this week. Reports indicate that 32 survivors remain in Sri Lanka, alongside 208 crew members from the “Bushehr” ship.
