Baku (ANTARA) - Two foreign cargo ships manned by 25 Azerbaijani\nnationals were attacked by drones, resulting in five deaths and three\ninjuries, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on\nFriday.<\/p>\n
Azerbaiian media reported that the cargo ships Natra and Zircon,\nsailing from T\u00fcrkiye to Rostov-on-Don to load wheat, were struck by\ndrones on Thursday night local time in the Sea of Azov. The attack\nclaimed the lives of five Azerbaijani citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night, two foreign cargo ships manned by a total of 25\nAzerbaijani nationals were attacked by drones. Based on information\nreceived from the Russian side, five Azerbaijanis died and three others\nwere injured as a result of the attack. The injured are being treated at\na hospital in the city of Yeysk,\u201d the ministry stated.<\/p>\n
The Sea of Azov is an inland body of water in Eastern Europe located\nnorth of the Black Sea. It is connected via the Kerch Strait and is\nsurrounded by Russian territory to the north, east, and south, and\nUkraine to the west and northwest, including the Crimean Peninsula.<\/p>\n
The Natra, flying the flag of Belize and which lost two crew members\nin the attack, was hit by four drones, according to the Azerbaijani news\nagency Trend. A fire broke out but was successfully extinguished by the\ncrew. The vessel remains afloat and requires towing assistance; two\ntugboats have reportedly been deployed to assist the Natra.<\/p>\n
Four attacks against the Zircon, flying the flag of Palau, killed\nthree crew members, according to Trend. The crew abandoned the ship\nusing lifeboats. The vessel remains afloat despite catching fire, the\nnews agency reported, citing the Taman Maritime Rescue Coordination\nCentre.<\/p>\n
Survivors were rescued by three passing ships, and by Friday morning,\nall rescued sailors had been brought to the port of Yeysk, Russia.<\/p>\n
There were 12 crew members on the Natra and 14 on the Zircon. The\nAzerbaijani nationals on both ships were working as private contract\nseafarers. Both vessels were reported to have no connection to the state\nof Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin\ntold reporters that the Ukrainian government was behind the drone\nattacks on the cargo ships in the Sea of Azov.<\/p>\n
The Sea of Azov is known as one of the shallowest seas in the world,\nwith an average depth of only about 7 to 12 metres, and is currently a\nsignificant geopolitical and maritime focal point between Russia and\nUkraine.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/five-dead-following-drone-attack-on-cargo-ships-in-sea-of-azov-waters-1780812117", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }