Sailors missing after fresh attacks on Black Sea vessels, Bulgaria says
It is not clear who is behind the attacks which come as Russia intensifies strikes in the Black Sea as part of its war against Ukraine.
Sailors missing after new attacks on Black Sea vessels, Bulgaria says
One merchant ship has sunk and its crew is missing after a drone attack in the Black Sea, Bulgarian officials say.
A second vessel, carrying grain, was also struck inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. Its crew of 18 was rescued.
Radev did not say who was responsible for the attacks, which come as Russia steps up strikes in the Black Sea as part of its war against Ukraine.
Moscow has not commented on the latest incident, a day after it was accused by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of hitting a civilian vessel carrying corn.
Air and sea drones were used in the attacks at about 03:00 (23:00 GMT), around 70 miles (112 km) off the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria, Radev said.
He said the sunken ship was flying the flag of Togo.
A Bulgarian vessel was nearby, but when it arrived all that could be seen was an overturned boat, rafts and life jackets. It was not clear how many crew members were on board. A search operation has been launched. The vessel’s cargo was not immediately known.
Radev said Bulgarian sailors rescued the crew from the second ship, including two people injured in a fire on board. Eleven were Turkish nationals and seven were Indian nationals. The vessel was carrying grain.
Radev condemned the strikes as “a flagrant violation of maritime law”.
He told reporters: “Such an attack within the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone is absolutely unacceptable.”
Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea is just over 29,000 sq km (11,197 sq miles), about 6% of the Black Sea’s total area.
A separate attack on Tuesday near Odesa killed one crew member and injured seven more. According to Ukrainian media, the ship was flying the flag of the Marshall Islands.
On Sunday, Russia’s defence ministry said it would intensify its strikes across Ukraine in response to comments Zelensky made earlier last week, when he said Kyiv would increase its attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.