A sailor rescued from a ship struck by drones in the Black Sea off Bulgaria has described the moment the vessel was hit, as authorities confirmed one ship sank and another was damaged in the attack on Tuesday.
Two ships struck off Bulgarian coast
The Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship Dignity sank after it was hit by drones, the provenance of which was not immediately clear. Five sailors were rescued, while a search for the other 11 crew members continued, Varna district Governor Mario Smrkov said.
Rescuers evacuated all 15 crew members from the Ukrainian-operated coastal freighter Chelsea 3, sailing under the Maltese flag, with five receiving treatment for minor injuries, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said in a video posted to social media.
Sailor recalls the attack
One sailor who was rescued told AP News Agency: "Three drones hit us. They came via the water. Thank God, they didn't start a fire on board. Our ship didn't sink; it remained stable in the water. We are all safe and sound."
The crew, which included seven Ukrainian citizens and eight Azerbaijani citizens, reported that the ship's deck and hull were hit by three aerial drones. The strikes on the two ships happened 20 miles and 21 miles from the Bulgarian coast.
Bulgaria seeks NATO and EU assistance
During an emergency meeting of Bulgaria's Security Council on Tuesday, Mr Radev called the attacks "absolutely unacceptable" and said Bulgaria was seeking NATO and European Union assistance.
While authorities do not have clear evidence on who was responsible for the drone attacks, Mr Radev claimed: "It makes no sense for Ukraine to destroy its own ships in the Black Sea, and the results of these strikes favour Russia's interests."
The Russian Ambassador in Sofia claimed she does not have any information from the Russian defence ministry related to the recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea. However, she did not rule out the possibility that "these attacks represent a provocation by a third party".
Mr Radev has said that such attacks are unacceptable and that Bulgaria will continue to investigate the attacks together with its EU and NATO allies to establish the truth.
He said Bulgaria is suffering significant economic and financial damage and added that his country will initiate talks with neighbouring Romania and Turkey on joint proposals to guarantee the safety of shipping in the Black Sea.
