Iris Dena: Bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed in US attack to be repatriated

The seamen died when Iranian warship the Iris Dena was sunk on 4 March by a US submarine near Sri Lanka.

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The seamen were among 130 thought to be aboard the Iranian warship, the Iris Dena, when it was sunk on 4 March about 40km (25 miles) from Sri Lanka's southern coastline.

A police escort transferred bodies to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport on Friday morning for the repatriation to Iran, after they were stored in two freezers at Galle National Hospital.

Sri Lanka said 32 sailors rescued by its navy after the torpedo attack "will remain in Sri Lanka", according to news agency AFP.

A magistrate in the Sri Lankan city of Galle ordered that the 84 bodies should be released to the Iranian embassy.