Iran’s Rouhani extends condolences to families of dead sailors

TIL Desk/World/Tehran/ Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani extended on Sunday his condolences to the families of 32 sailors who died after their oil tanker collided with another vessel off China’s east coast.

The crew members, including 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, went missing after a Panama-registered oil tanker and a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter collided on January 6 in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River’s estuary.

Three bodies have been recovered after Chinese rescue teams tried very hard to put out the fire and rescue the crew members on the tanker, carrying 136,000 tons of gas condensates and other oils, that caught fire after the collision.

It sank on Sunday after burning for eight days. Describing the incident as “tragic” and “heart-breaking,” Rouhani said the deaths of the crew have deeply saddened the nation of Iran. The President stressed that determining the identity of the dead sailors should be a priority to relieve their families’ pain and suffering.