The crew of the ship attacked by drones is missing — Bulgarian Prime Minister

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev reported that the crew of one of the merchant ships attacked by drones is missing. The Bulgarian military is continuing a search-and-rescue operation in the country’s exclusive economic zone. The day before, on Tuesday, drones attacked two merchant ships in that area.

According to the prime minister, one of the vessels that came under attack sank, and the crew members are considered missing.

The Bulgarian vessel DIOSCURIA arrived to assist, but the sailors found only an overturned boat, three overturned rafts, and life jackets.

“So far, no one from the first vessel has been found. The crew is presumed missing,” the prime minister said. 

The rescue operation and search efforts are ongoing. According to Radev, the fastest assets available to the Air Force and Navy have been deployed for the operation.

The second vessel that was attacked also sustained damage, and a fire broke out on board. However, its crew managed to evacuate to the ship DIOSCURIA.

Two people were injured. They were picked up by a high-speed Navy vessel and are being transported to the port of Varna. The remaining 16 crew members are being transported on a border patrol boat. In total, there were 18 people on board the second vessel—11 Turkish citizens and 7 Indian citizens. 

The Prime Minister of Bulgaria called the incident a gross violation of international law. 

“An absolutely unacceptable attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. An absolutely gross violation of international law,” Radev stated.

In his view, such attacks pose increasingly serious risks to shipping in the Black Sea, lead to higher insurance costs, and further complicate maritime transport.

According to Bulgarian authorities, the second ship attacked was carrying wheat and was heading south. The sunken vessel was heading north, but there is currently no information about its cargo.

Radev linked this incident to the ongoing military operations in the Black Sea and warned of the danger that the conflict could spread to an ever-larger area. 

“As I have long stated regarding this war—if it is not stopped in time, it will continue to expand its geographical scope and increase the risk of even a global conflict,” the prime minister said.

Radev made these remarks ahead of a meeting with representatives of state institutions, according to Nova.

As a reminder, drones attacked two merchant ships off the coast of Bulgaria.

Russian drones entered the airspace of Romania and Moldova.

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