Bulgaria's cabinet held an emergency meeting after a sea and air drone attack in the country's economic zone in the Black Sea sank the cargo ship Alfa Watan. Rescuers are searching for 18 crew members, prime minister Rumen Radev said after the meeting.
Rescue teams who searched the area where the ship was hit found an overturned lifeboat and life jackets, but none of the sailors. Alfa Watan sails under the flag of Togo, and it's not known what cargo it was carrying.
The attack happened overnight, with the first reports on two of the ships coming in around 3am. Besides Alfa Watan, drones also hit the ship Able, which is now drifting. A third ship, Alfa, was also attacked, but its entire crew was rescued.
Two sailors from the Alfa crew were hurt: one with burns, the other with a head injury. Both were taken to the port of Varna and from there to the Military Medical Academy for treatment.
It's not known where the drones came from. Radev called the strike a coordinated attack.
"This is a completely unacceptable attack in Bulgaria's economic zone in the Black Sea. It's a blatant breach of maritime law," Radev said.
Radev said the attack is disrupting shipping, pushing up insurance costs and making it harder for merchant ships to set sail. He said the state's priority is the health and lives of the people at sea in the area. He recalled that he had long warned that if the war in Ukraine does not end in time, it will spread into more territory and raise the risk of a wider global conflict.
The search and rescue operation is also continuing from the air. Two helicopters and a Su-25 jet - which can fly over the area at lower speed - took off from Krumovo air base. The sea swell is below force 2, and visibility is good.
"The operation is still under way right now. We're searching for survivors from the first ship that sank," the prime minister said.
Another ship, attacked in August and drifting ever since, is currently outside Bulgaria's territorial waters. If it comes closer, the state will do everything needed to make sure the coast isn't put at risk, Radev said.