March 11, New Delhi — A court in Sri Lanka has ordered authorities to release the bodies of 84 Iranian sailors recovered after the sinking of the IRIS Dena off the island's southern coast.
The order was issued by the Chief Magistrate of Galle following a request from local police. The magistrate directed the Director of Galle National Hospital to hand over the bodies to officials of the Iranian Embassy in Sri Lanka.
The remains are currently being stored in mobile cold rooms at the hospital after being recovered from the sea. 84 out of the 104 bodies have been identified and will be repatriated with the assistance of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the cooperation of the Sri Lankan government.