Sanchi black box to be decoded next week

The voyage data recorder of Iranian sunken oil tanker has been sealed by the officials to be decoded in the presence of an expert team and related officials, he said.

Speaking at a ceremony to commemorate one of the victims of the Sanchi incident on Friday, Mohammad Rastad asked people to follow the news of Sanchi oil tanker and expert opinions on the issue only through the national media and ignore the rumors of the unjust bodies.

He underlined that at very first moment of the incident we asked for international assistance to rescue the crew, and the last day, when the necessary measures were taken to find their bodies, it became very difficult due to successive explosions on the ship.

The Panama-registered Iranian tanker, named Sanchi, that was carrying 16,000 tons of gas condensate, collided with a Hong Kong-registered freighter in East China Sea on January 7. One dead body was pulled from water near the tanker when it was still burning and two others plus the black box were recovered by rescue team from the tanker. The tanker sank a week after the incident, despite all efforts made to save the lives of crew. Now it is presumed that all other 30 crew members are dead. Two Bangladeshis were on board the vessel.