Sri Lanka started disembarking 208 crew members from a second Iranian ship one day after a U.S. submarine attack on an Iranian warship in the same area left 87 dead and several others unaccounted for.

“Following thorough talks with all involved parties, Sri Lanka has chosen to provide assistance to the Iranian vessel,” Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told journalists during a press conference in Colombo, as reported by Reuters.

Dissanayake stated that the crew members being disembarked from the ship—located near Colombo’s port—include 53 officials, 84 cadets, 48 senior sailors, and 23 regular sailors.

The warship IRIS Dena was sunk off Sri Lanka’s coast in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday. Local officials have sent two freezers to hold the 87 bodies retrieved from the sea.

Gen. Dan Caine, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, noted that the vessel was “effectively neutralized” in a Navy “fast attack” that employed a single Mark 48 torpedo. He further stated that the U.S. Navy had an “immediate effect, sending the warship to the ocean floor.”

Iran claims the ship was sunk in international waters without any prior warning.

“The U.S. will deeply regret the precedent it has established,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on X.

Iran has requested Sri Lanka’s help in repatriating the bodies.

Sri Lankan officials indicated that the Dena was en route home after participating in a naval exercise held in the Bay of Bengal from February 18 to 25.

They added that search and rescue efforts would continue for approximately 10 individuals who are still missing.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly claimed that U.S. forces had sunk a second Iranian vessel off Sri Lanka’s coast.