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Kochi, March 14, 2026: An Iranian chartered flight carrying the bodies of deceased sailors departed from Kochi to Armenia late Friday night. Most of the crew members from the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan, which has been anchored at the Kerala port since last week, also left on this flight.

On March 4, a US submarine fired a torpedo near Sri Lanka, sinking the Iranian vessel IRIS Dena. While the Sri Lankan Navy rescued 32 crew members from the Dena, they recovered the bodies of 84 Iranian sailors. The chartered flight first landed in Colombo to collect the remains of the deceased sailors before arriving in Kochi. After picking up the sailors stationed in Kochi, the flight departed for Armenia late at night. The crew from IRIS Lavan and the bodies of the Dena sailors will be transported by road from Armenia to Iran.

Due to technical issues, IRIS Lavan remains anchored at the Kochi port, and some crew members have stayed back in India. Accommodation has been provided for the remaining crew at naval facilities in Kochi. On March 1, responding to an emergency request from Iran, India had granted permission for the warships IRIS Dena, IRIS Lavan, and IRIS Bushehr to dock at Indian ports. While Lavan docked in Kochi, the other two warships continued their journey. Subsequently, IRIS Dena was sunk by the US, and IRIS Bushehr is currently docked in Sri Lanka.

GangolliNews