84 Iranian Navy Personnel Killed in US Submarine Attack Repatriated to Iran

14-Mar-2026

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The bodies of 84 Iranian naval personnel, who perished when the IRIS Dena warship was sunk by a US submarine near Sri Lanka on March 4, were repatriated to Iran on March13 via a special aircraft, according to retired Defence Secretary A. W. M. Sampath Duyyakonda.

Following the attack, 32 injured personnel were rescued and treated at the Colombo-based Kaly-Karapitiya hospital, while the bodies of the deceased were handed over to the Iranian embassy for repatriation. 

The repatriation occurred in two batches: 45 in the early hours and 39 in the afternoon of March 13.