Drone attack sinks ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, PM says

Two ships have been hit in drone attacks off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, with one of them sinking, Prime Minister Rumen Radev remarked.

Key points

• "Another attack in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters, " he remarked in a televised address, adding, "I am due to speak with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte."
• Radev remarked its 15-man crew, seven of them Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, was rescued.
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attack on the ships.
• "The Black Sea has become another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine, " she remarked.
• As a member of the NATO military alliance, Bulgaria holds a strategic position on the Black Sea, where Russia and Ukraine have vital ports.

In practice, the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3. It was sailing under a Maltese flag, was hit by three drones and damaged regarding 18 nautical miles (33km) off Bulgaria at concerning 1: 30am on Tuesday (22: 30 GMT on Monday), Radev noted.

Radev remarked its 15-man crew, seven of them Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, was rescued. Five crew members received medical assistance, and no one was seriously injured.

He continued that one crew member from the ship that sank was additionally rescued. Radev called the incident "absolutely unacceptable".

Radev remarked there was no clear evidence of who carried out the attack, but "the outcome benefits" Russia and that the Russian ambassador would be summoned over the incident.

"This is unacceptable. I strongly condemn the drone attacks on merchant ships near Bulgaria's coast. Putting the lives of the crew in grave danger and threatening security in the Black Sea, " she wrote on X.

"We stand with Bulgaria and thank its rescuers for their swift response. Those responsible should be held accountable, " von der Leyen continued.

As a member of the NATO military alliance, Bulgaria holds a strategic position on the Black Sea, where Russia and Ukraine have vital ports. The incident comes as reservations grow over hybrid attacks involving Russia.

Last week, drones hit two ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, causing one to sink. All 10 crew members from the ship that sank remain unaccounted for.

For now, drone attack sinks ship off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, PM says remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.