Drones strike two ships off Bulgaria; 11 sailors missing
Drones hit two cargo ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast overnight into Tuesday, and officials said one of them sank. Five sailors from that ship were rescued, but 11 are still missing, while all 15 crew of the other ship were saved. Bulgaria's prime minister said the attacks help Russia, and the country called in Moscow's envoy.
Drones struck two cargo ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast overnight into Tuesday, and one sank, officials said, the AP and Reuters reported. Five sailors from the ship that sank were rescued, and a search for 11 more went on, the AP reported, citing Varna district governor Mario Smrkov.
President Iliana Iotova identified that ship as the HS Dignity, which flies the flag of Guinea-Bissau, Reuters reported. It went down off the village of Krapets. The Bulgarian outlet Novinite reported it was sailing from Algeria to Braila, Romania. But later on Tuesday, a top Interior Ministry official said no one could be sure the ship sank. There was no signal from it, BurgasMedia reported.
The second ship, the Chelsea 3, flies Malta's flag and is run by a Ukrainian company. It was hit by three drones on its deck and hull. All 15 crew members, seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, were rescued, and five were treated for minor injuries, the AP reported.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attacks "absolutely unacceptable." He said there is no clear proof of who did it, but that the outcome "benefits the Russian Federation," Reuters reported. Bulgaria summoned Russia's ambassador, Eleonora Mitrofanova. After she met Radev, she said she had no word from Russia's Defense Ministry on the attacks. She did not rule out "a provocation by a third party," the AP and Reuters reported, citing the Bulgarian government. Moscow did not immediately comment, Reuters said.
Ukraine's top diplomat, Andrii Sybiha, blamed Russia outright. "The Black Sea is a lifeline for global food security. Russia is attacking it to weaponize hunger and hold the world hostage," he wrote on X, the AP reported.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the strikes. Radev asked her and NATO chief Mark Rutte for help to watch Bulgaria's sea and sky, Reuters reported. Rutte said NATO would adjust its defenses "as needed."
The attacks came a week after drones hit two other ships in Bulgaria's waters, sinking one, the AP reported. Ten sailors from that ship, nine Syrians and one Egyptian, are still lost at sea, Reuters reported.
What we know: Two ships were hit by drones off Bulgaria overnight, all 15 crew of the Chelsea 3 were rescued, and 11 sailors from the second ship are missing.
What we don't: Who launched the drones, whether the second ship actually sank, and whether the 11 missing sailors will be found.
Where outlets agree The AP and Reuters both report that five sailors were rescued and 11 are missing from the sunken ship, while all 15 crew of the Chelsea 3 were saved.
Where they differ The AP reports that the HS Dignity sank, while BurgasMedia reports an Interior Ministry official saying no one could be sure it had sunk.