Cargo ship sinks in Black Sea after drone attack, crew missing

A civilian cargo ship has sunk and its crew is missing after a drone attack in the Black Sea, Bulgarian officials said. A second vessel carrying grain was also hit inside Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. Its 18 crew members were rescued.

Radev said air and sea drones were involved in the attacks at about 03:00 (23:00 GMT), some 70 miles (112 km) off the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria. The sunken ship, the Alfa Watan, flew the flag of Togo and was Turkish-owned, he said. It was reportedly heading for Sulina, Romania. It is not clear what it was carrying or how many people were on board.

A Bulgarian vessel that was nearby found an overturned boat, rafts and life jackets, and a search operation has been launched. Radev said Bulgarian sailors rescued the crew of the second ship, the Able, which flew the flag of Palau and was transporting grain. Eleven of those rescued were Turkish and seven were Indian nationals, he said, and two were injured in a fire on board. Its last reported position was five nautical miles (9 km) from the Alfa Watan.

Radev did not say who was behind the attacks, but called the strikes "a flagrant violation of maritime law". "Such an attack within the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone is absolutely unacceptable," he told reporters. He did not accuse Russia, but said: "If this war is not halted in time, it will continue to expand its geographical reach and increase risks, including the risk of a global conflict." Moscow has not commented on the incident.

The incident came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of striking a civilian vessel carrying corn in the Black Sea. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X that the situation in the Black Sea was "increasingly concerning" and that commercial ships and innocent crews were being targeted, "with lives already lost at sea". She said the exact circumstances of the incidents were still being established. According to the BBC report, the attacks come as Russia intensifies strikes in the Black Sea, particularly the eastern side, as part of its war against Ukraine.