Two ships attacked by drones off the coast of Bulgaria, one crew member missing

Moscow (ANTARA) - Two ships were attacked by drones within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, and the crew of one of the vessels has yet to be found, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated on Tuesday.

Earlier on the same day, the news site Maritime News reported that the drone attacks occurred on Monday night (5/10), causing one ship to sink and another to catch fire.

The Togo-flagged vessel, Alfa Watan, which was sailing from Egypt to Romania, sustained severe damage and sank approximately 130 kilometres east of the city of Byala, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the Palau-flagged vessel, Able, which was travelling from Romania to Türkiye, caught fire due to the attack and was reported to still be ablaze as of Tuesday morning.

“The people from the first ship (Alfa Watan) have not been found. The crew, as I said, are declared missing,” Prime Minister Radev stated during a cabinet meeting.

Furthermore, the Bulgarian ferry, Dioscuria, was near the location when the attacks occurred and immediately headed to the scene. However, the vessel only found an overturned boat, an overturned life raft, and life jackets, Radev said.

Radev also confirmed that 18 people, including Turkish and Indian nationals, were evacuated from the second ship, Able, which was transporting wheat. Two individuals sustained injuries and are en route to a military hospital in Varna.

Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, who also attended the cabinet meeting, stated that an Su-25 aircraft and two helicopters have been deployed to search for survivors from the Alfa Watan.