The crew of the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Bushehr, an auxiliary ship accompanying the warship IRIS Dena that was attacked by the United States, fled to Sri Lanka after abandoning the ship, a former Sri Lankan navy official told Iran International.

The vessel, belonging to the Iranian army’s navy, docked at the port of Colombo on March 5 due to what was described as an “engine technical malfunction,” carrying 208 naval personnel, including 53 officers and 84 officer cadets.

The former official said the ship’s request for humanitarian assistance due to engine trouble was in fact a cover for a “mass escape” by the crew. He said the crew’s decision stemmed from a deep collapse of their trust in the Islamic Republic amid the current war in Iran.

The source added that the sinking of the destroyer Dena by a US submarine further intensified this distrust, saying the incident showed the crew that the Islamic Republic does not care about the lives and fate of its forces.

The source said all 208 sailors had left the ship, were transferred to the Welisara naval base and are now under the supervision of Sri Lankan security authorities.

-Iran International