Sri Lanka has evacuated 208 crew members of an Iranian navy vessel on Thursday, a day after a US submarine struck and sank another Iranian frigate, killing dozens of sailors, AFP reports quoting Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Sri Lanka’s navy will also take over the second vessel and shift it to the northeastern port of Trincomalee for safekeeping, Dissanayake said, amid fears that it could be a target of attack.
“We are not taking sides in this conflict, but while maintaining our neutrality, we are taking action to save lives,” Dissanayake said in a televised statement. “No person should die in a war like this. Every life is equally precious.”
The Sri Lankan navy will crew the IRIS Bushehr, which had reported a fault with one of its engines, while the Iranian crew and cadets aboard will be transferred ashore for safety.
