Arrangements have been made to hand over the 71 survivors of the ill-fated Myanmar vessel to the respective embassies and diplomatic missions through the Foreign Ministry for repatriation, navy sources said.

Sri Lanka Navy yesterday (March 3) rescued 50 Myanmar nationals and 21 Bangladesh citizens who were marooned in the sea for 13 days at a distance of 150 nautical miles off the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka. Seventeen Myanmar nationals and 3 Bangladeshi citizens died of starvation and dehydration.

The Navy launched a search operation for the vessel after they were alerted of a sighting of a suspicious vessel by the fishermen off Mullaitivu on the Eastern Coast of Sri Lanka.