Alwaght- Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran has issued a message of condolence over the "bitter and heartrending" deadly incident involving an Iranian oil tanker bursting into flames and sinking off China’s coast.
In a message on Sunday, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei offered condolences to the bereaved families of the 32 crew members of the Iranian oil tanker who lost their lives in the "calamitous and regrettable" incident.
The Leader said the sailors sacrificed their lives as they were fulfilling their duty for their country.
President Hassan Rouhani also offered condolences to the families of the crew of the Iranian oil tanker ‘Sanchi’ and stressed the need for prioritizing the identification of the bodies to alleviate the pains of their families.
President Hassan Rouhani also called on all the relevant agencies, including the ministries of Roads and Urban Development, Oil, and Foreign Affairs, to determine the cause of this tragic incident in which 30 Iranian crew members lost their lives after the oil tanker Sanchi collided with a freighter off China’s east coast on January 6, and exploded and sunk today after a whole week being ablaze.
The Sanchi oil tanker, carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate from Iran to South Korea, caught fire on January 6 after it collided with the CF Crystal, a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter, about 160 nautical miles (184 km) off China's coast near Shanghai.
Iranian officials said on Sunday that the vessel had completely sunk and available evidence indicated that all crew members had died soon after the collision and a powerful blast.
Thirty two crew members were on board, comprising 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis. A Chinese salvage team on Saturday recovered two bodies from the tanker. Another body, presumed to be one of the Sanchi's sailors, was found on Monday and brought to Shanghai for identification.
