Drones attacked two merchant ships off the coast of Bulgaria: some are missing
Drones attacked two merchant ships off the coast of Bulgaria.
This was reported by NOVA, according to Censor.NET.
Details
The attack took place east of Cape St. Athanasius and the city of Byala. A large-scale rescue operation is underway.
According to BGNES, ships flying the flags of Togo and Palau were attacked.
The ALFA WATAN, flying the Togolese flag, has sunk; there is currently no information on the fate of the crew.
Eighteen sailors were rescued from the other vessel, the ABLE; some of them are injured.
It is known that both vessels were in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone at the time of the attack, but not in its territorial waters.
Media reports indicate that this was the first instance of a drone attack on vessels so close to the Bulgarian coast.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Radev noted that one of the vessels that came under attack had sunk, and the crew members are considered missing.
The Bulgarian vessel DIOSCURIA arrived to assist one of the ships, but found only an overturned boat, three overturned rafts, and life jackets.
"The crew is presumed missing," the prime minister said.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine has commented on the situation so far.
Background
- On October 6, it was reported that Russia had struck a vessel flying the flag of the Marshall Islands in the Black Sea. The attack reportedly resulted in one fatality and several injuries.
