Drones strike two vessels in Bulgaria's economic zone; one ship sinks
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev revealed that drones targeted two commercial ships in Bulgaria's Exclusive Economic Zone, leading to alarming consequences. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan sank after critical damage, while the Able vessel from Palau caught fire. Remarkably, a Bulgarian ferry was able to rescue all 18 crew members, with two suffering serious injuries.
On October 6, drones reportedly targeted multiple merchant vessels in the Black Sea, including two ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. A Russian drone attack on a civilian vessel in the Black Sea claimed at least one life and injured several others. The vessel, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, was transporting rapeseed oil and suffered a fire in the superstructure.
Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper condemned the attack, stating it violates international law and poses a threat to global food security. Two merchant ships, the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan and the Palau-flagged Able, were also hit by drones about 70 miles off Bulgaria's coast. The Togo-flagged vessel sank, and its crew's fate remains unknown.
Life jackets were spotted near the vessel, but no survivors were found. The second ship caught fire, and all 18 crew members were rescued by a Bulgarian ferry. Two sailors sustained severe injuries. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev convened an emergency meeting, describing the attacks as a gross violation of international law and warning of risks to Black Sea shipping.
The incidents follow a similar drone strike off the Romanian coast two days earlier, which killed two people and injured 11 others on a grain ship.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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