A 'top official' said on Wednesday that over 200 Iranian crew members who were rescued from two warships by Sri Lanka had been sent back to their home country.

Sri Lanka rescued 32 Iranians from the warship IRIS Dena after it was struck by a U.S. sub's torpedo on March 4.

The ship was returning from an Indian-organised naval exercise, which took place?amid the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.

Sri Lanka rescued on 5 March 208 crew members from IRIS Booshehr, a second vessel that had also requested assistance from Colombo when it suffered engine problems.

Aruna Jayasekera, Deputy Minister of Defence, said that the crew of both ships was flown out on a special flight at 11 pm on Tuesday.

IRIS 'Booshehr, after its crew was unloaded in Colombo was towed off Sri Lanka’s eastern coast to Trincomalee. It arrived on Tuesday morning.

Jayasekera said that there are still 8-10 Iranian crew members on board to assist with operations.

Sri Lanka issued 30-day visas for the crew members and placed them in camps of the navy?and airforce before arranging their return to Iran.

The bodies of the 84 crewmembers killed by the U.S. in the attack on the Dena were returned to Iran via a chartered aircraft arranged by Iran. (Reporting and editing by Raju Gopikrishnan; Uditha Jayasinghe)

(source: Reuters)