KOCHI: Nearly 100 members of the crew of Iranian naval ship IRIS Lavan, docked at Kochi port, have left India via Kochi airport, persons in the know here said. There was, however, no formal confirmation from Southern Naval Command. According to the sources, the Iranian crew members left Kochi airport on an aircraft that came from Colombo. The plane departed Kochi airport late on Friday. The sources did not disclose the aircraft’s destination. The warship and its remaining crew are still in Kochi.The ship was in the region for the International Fleet Review. Nearly 183 crew members were accommodated at naval facilities here. It was days before the sinking of IRIS Dena on March 4 by a US submarine south of Sri Lanka that India was approached by Iran to give the ship safe harbour.Iran’s request for IRIS Lavan, received on Feb 28, the day US and Israel launched their ‘Epic Fury’ offensive, said docking at Kochi was urgent as the vessel had developed “technical” issues.Approval was accorded on March 1. IRIS Lavan docked at Kochi on March 4.New Delhi’s decision perhaps helped IRIS Lavan escape the fate that befell IRIS Dena, which was torpedoed and sunk in international waters by a US submarine. At least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in the attack.
