Iran arranges charter plane to repatriate crew of warship Iris Lavan docked in Kochi

The special charter flight is also carrying the bodies of Iranian sailors who were killed when another warship, IRIS Dena, was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine near Sri Lanka on March 4, the people said on condition of anonymity.

The Lavan’s crew and the bodies of sailors from the Dena will be transported to Iran by road, these people said.

The Iranian side is repatriating the non-essential members of the 183-strong crew of IRIS Lavan, while a limited number of crew members will stay back to maintain the warship, the people said.