Iran has safely evacuated about 180 of its marines stranded in Kochi, India. All these marines were deployed on the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan, which was stopped in India after a technical glitch. Along with this, Iran has also brought back the bodies of 84 of its sailors from Sri Lanka. These sailors died in a torpedo attack by an American nuclear submarine. Iran has used a special chartered aircraft for this entire evacuation process.
Iranian ship sunk in American attack and took refuge in India
On March 4, the American submarine USS Charlotte attacked the Iranian warship IRIS Dena and sank it in international waters. 84 Iranian sailors lost their lives in this incident. On the same day, another Iranian ship IRIS Lavan reached Kochi port in India due to technical fault. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar made it clear in Parliament that India has allowed the Iranian ship to stop entirely on humanitarian grounds and has provided necessary facilities to its crew.
The plane chose a safe route to evacuate the marines
Due to the ongoing tension with America and Israel, Iran chose a very safe and long route to evacuate its people. The special chartered plane first went to Mattala Airport in Sri Lanka and picked up 84 bodies from there. After this the plane reached Kochi and proceeded with the marines.
A chartered flight carrying 84 bodies from Sri Lanka flew to Kochi. About 180 sailors were boarded in the plane from Kochi. This flight passed through Indian airspace and over Pakistan and Afghanistan. After this the plane crossed the Caspian Sea and reached the border of Iran via Azerbaijan and Armenia.
An Iranian ship is also stuck in Sri Lanka
IRIS Bushehr, another auxiliary ship of the Iranian Navy, is also docked at Trikonmali port in Sri Lanka. There was a fault in its engine which is being repaired. The President of Sri Lanka has also made it clear that he is neutral in this international war and is providing humanitarian aid under international maritime laws. At present, some technical staff of IRIS Lavan are still staying in Kochi for repairs to the ship and talks are going on between the two countries regarding the security of merchant ships.