Two cargo ships were hit by drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, about 80 miles from Byala, in Varna province, Bulgaria's government press office says. One ship sank, and fire broke out on the other, forcing the crew to abandon it.
This report builds on our earlier story about the strike on the two ships in Bulgaria's economic zone, which prompted prime minister Rumen Radev to call an emergency meeting with state institutions.
The attacks happened on October 6 in the Black Sea, east of Cape St Atanas and the town of Byala. It is the first known attack on ships inside Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.
One of the ships hit was the general cargo vessel ALFA WATAN, sailing under the flag of Togo, with IMO number 7510884. The strike left it with critical structural damage, and it sank east of the Bulgarian coast. There is still no word on the fate of its crew, a specialist maritime website reports. It says the incident is part of a coordinated drone campaign against merchant ships in the area.
The other ship, the motor vessel ABLE, sails under the flag of Palau, with IMO number 9001136. A serious fire broke out on board, and all 18 crew members left the ship.
The Bulgarian ro-ro and passenger ferry DIOSCURIA (Bulgarian flag, IMO 7931997) was diverted to help the ships in distress, along with the ship MERCY, flagged in St Kitts and Nevis. The crew from ABLE were taken aboard DIOSCURIA.
Injured crew members among those rescued got first aid on board the ferry. The Bulgarian crew and emergency rescue teams are preparing to evacuate the injured to hospitals on shore as soon as possible.
The crew of ABLE are being transferred to a Bulgarian Border Police vessel, which will take them ashore.
Representatives of the defence ministry, the interior ministry, the transport ministry and the environment and water ministry have been invited to the meeting with the prime minister. Representatives of the presidency and the security services were also invited. Rumen Radev is due to make a statement to the media at the start of the meeting, at 11:15am.
It is still not clear where the drones came from.
The day before the strike in Bulgaria's zone, a Turkish ship carrying grain from Ukraine to Italy caught fire and sank in Romania's exclusive economic zone after a drone attack. Two sailors died, and 11 were rescued.
The rescue operation in the area is still under way.
Updated (06.10, 11:07): Government data shows the ships are 150km out to sea, or 70 nautical miles, not 80 miles from Byala as first reported. Two crew members from the ship ABLE were hurt worse than the rest - one with burns, the other with a head injury - while the other 16 crew members are in good condition. An ambulance from the naval hospital in Varna has been sent to the scene, and border police boats are bringing the injured ashore.
Updated (06.10, 12:10): BNT says the ship MERCY sails under a Turkish flag, not the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis as first reported. The incident happened around 3:00 am today, when an emergency buoy sent the first alert. Navy and air force vessels are taking part in the rescue. One sailor from the ABLE has burns, another has a head injury, and navy ships taking part in an exercise are near Varna's Maritime Station.