Over 50 bodies of Iranian sailors kept on ice as mortuary exceeds capacity

• 32 survivors were rescued from the sea and admitted to hospitals in the southern region for treatment
• Dozens of others remain missing as search operations continue

By Sheain Fernandopulle  

Over 50 of 84 bodies of Iranian sailors killed in the sinking of the warship IRIS Dena are being kept on ice outside the Karapitiya Hospital mortuary after the facility exceeded its storage capacity, hospital sources said.  

The bodies, which were brought ashore following the maritime disaster off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, were subsequently transported in trucks to the hospital in Galle.   

With the mortuary unable to accommodate the large number of remains, authorities temporarily placed over 50 bodies in refrigerated storage units and ice preservation containers outside the mortuary until further arrangements could be made.  

The fatalities occurred after the Iranian warship IRIS Dena sank in the Indian Ocean off the southern coast of Sri Lanka after being struck by a torpedo reportedly fired from a U.S. submarine.   

Sri Lankan authorities launched search and rescue operations following a distress signal from the vessel.   

According to the Sri Lanka Navy, at least 87 sailors were killed in the incident while 32 survivors were rescued from the sea and admitted to hospitals in the southern region for treatment.   

Dozens of others remain missing as search operations continue.