International News: Cargo Ship sinks after drone attack in Black Sea, crew missing

By Zoila Palma:  A civilian cargo ship has sunk and its crew remains missing after a drone attack in the Black Sea, Bulgarian officials said.

The incident occurred early Wednesday within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, about 112 kilometres off the eastern coastal town of Byala, BBC reports.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said a second vessel carrying grain was also struck in the area, but all 18 crew members were rescued. The ship, the Able, was flying the flag of Palau and had 11 Turkish and seven Indian nationals on board. Two crew members were injured in a fire following the attack.

The sunken vessel, the Alfa Watan, was flying the flag of Togo and is Turkish-owned. It was reportedly sailing toward Sulina, Romania, but authorities have not confirmed what cargo it was carrying or how many people were aboard. Bulgarian rescuers found an overturned boat, life rafts and life jackets at the scene and launched a search operation for the missing crew.

Radev condemned the incident as a “flagrant violation of maritime law” and said attacks on commercial vessels were unacceptable.

He did not identify who was responsible, while the attacks come amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and increased strikes in the Black Sea.

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