In a message on Monday morning, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri expressed deep sympathy for the crew of the Iranian oil tanker that went under water following a raging inferno caused by a crash with a Chinese freighter on January 6.
He also praised the crew for devoting their lives to service for the homeland and to the country’s progress.
In separate messages, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Army offered condolences for the tragic incident, saying the lonely death of the crew in the faraway waters shows the extent of their devotion.
Sanchi, with 32 people on board, including 30 Iranians, collided with a Chinese freight ship in the East China Sea on January 6 and had been burning ever since.
The Panama-registered tanker was carrying 136,000 tons of condensate, an ultra-light crude that is highly flammable, to South Korea.
It sank on January 14 after the spread of fire to new oil condensate tanks created blazes as high as 100 meters and increased temperature to 350 degrees Celsius (660 degrees Fahrenheit).