Romania says 8 people missing after fire on vessel in Black Sea

Romania has reported eight people missing after a fire erupted on a vessel flying the San Marino flag in the Black Sea on Thursday morning. This marks the latest incident in the region, where suspected Russian drones have targeted several ships since last week, in what appears to be a spillover from the Ukraine conflict. The vessel, named the Wine Trader, reported the fire at around 7am, approximately 13 nautical miles southeast of the Romanian city of Sulina.

Out of the 12 people on board, four have been accounted for, leaving eight missing. A search and rescue operation, involving both a vessel and a helicopter, is currently underway. Romanian authorities have not confirmed if a drone caused the fire. This incident follows another possible drone attack on a tanker off the Black Sea coast, which Romania is currently investigating.

Defense Minister Radu Miruta emphasized the gravity of such incidents occurring within Romanian territorial waters. In the first eight months of this year, at least 163 civilian and commercial vessels were hit by drones in the Black Sea, according to Turkey's IMEAK chamber of shipping.