Sri Lanka, March 7 -- Sri Lankan diplomatic missions have begun formal discussions with Iranian authorities regarding the fate of the IRIS Bushehr and surviving crew members, following the sinking of its sister ship IRIS Dena after a torpedo attack by a United States submarine off the coast of Galle.

Daily Mirror learns that the repatriation process is expected to be lengthy, as Sri Lanka strictly follow the Hague Conventions of 1907 and international maritime laws governing neutrality.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Navy is continuing search and rescue operations in waters off Galle to locate any remaining Iranian personnel. Navy Spokesman Buddhika Sampath said two naval vessels are currently engaged in the operation while several others re...