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240 Iranian Sailors Repatriated from Sri Lanka on Special Flight
The Pulse
PoliticsWorldGeneralHOTWednesday, April 15, 2026

240 Iranian Sailors Repatriated from Sri Lanka on Special Flight

TLDR

  • 238 Iranian nationals repatriated from Sri Lanka on April 14.

  • Crew from IRIS Dena and IRIS Bushehr, attacked near SL waters.

  • IRIS Dena sunk by US torpedo off Galle on March 4th.

  • Repatriated via Meraj Air Line flight IRAN-09 from Katunayake.

A total of 240 Iranian naval personnel were repatriated to Iran on Tuesday, April 14, following their stay in Sri Lanka. The group included 32 crew members rescued from the IRIS Dena, an Iranian navy ship reportedly sunk by a US attack off Sri Lanka's coast, and 208 crew members from the IRIS Bushehr. The sailors, who had been accommodated at the Welisara and Koggala Detention Centres, departed from the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake on a special Turkish flight. Deputy Minister of Defence Major General (Retd) Aruna Jayasekara confirmed the repatriation, which occurred weeks after the naval incident that also reportedly resulted in dozens of fatalities.

2 Updates

Update #3\u00b7 Apr 15 · 7:31 AM

New reports specify that the 'IRIS Dena' was subjected to an American torpedo attack on March 4th in international waters off Galle. While previous updates confirmed 238 Iranian nationals were repatriated, one new source indicates that more than 240 individuals, specifically 38 from 'IRIS Dena' and 204 from 'IRIS Bushehr' (totaling 242), were repatriated. Another source reiterates the 238 figure. The repatriation flight departed last night (April 14th).

Update #2\u00b7 Apr 15 · 4:32 AM

New reports confirm that 238 Iranian nationals were repatriated on April 14th. These individuals, rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy after their vessels, identified as 'IRIS Dena' and 'IRIS Bushehr', were attacked near Sri Lankan waters. They had been held at the Welisara detention center (206 individuals) and Koggala detention center (38 individuals). The special flight, identified as Meraj Air Line flight IRAN-09, arrived at the Sri Lanka Air Force base near Katunayake Airport around 4:00 PM on April 14th to facilitate their return.

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