Leader's Message on Tanker Incident

Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei issued a message of condolence over the "bitter and heartrending" deadly incident involving an Iranian oil tanker bursting into flames and sinking off China's coast. In a message on Sunday, Ayatollah Khamenei offered condolences to the bereaved families of the 32 crew members of the Iranian oil tanker who lost their lives in the "calamitous and regrettable" incident, Press TV reported. The Sanchi oil tanker, carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate from Iran to South Korea, caught fire on Jan. 6 after colliding with a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter about 160 nautical miles (184 km) off China's coast near Shanghai. Iranian officials said on Sunday that the vessel had completely sunk and available evidence indicated that all crew members had died soon after the collision and a powerful blast.