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Ship sinks and crew missing after Black Sea drone attack
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- A civilian cargo ship, the Alfa Watan, was sunk by drone attacks in the Black Sea near Bulgaria, with its crew missing; the ship was Turkish-owned and flying the flag of Togo.
- Bulgarian officials reported the attacks involved air and sea drones around 03:00 local time, about 70 miles off the town of Byala, and a search operation has been launched for the missing crew.
- Another ship, the Able, flying the flag of Palau and carrying grain, was also attacked; Bulgarian sailors rescued its crew members, including two injured in a fire, with nationals from Turkey and India aboard.
- No party has claimed responsibility, but the incident occurred amid intensified Russian strikes in the Black Sea related to the war against Ukraine, with EU leaders condemning the attacks on civilian vessels.
- A separate attack near Odesa resulted in one crew member killed and seven injured, highlighting escalating risks to commercial shipping amid ongoing conflict in the region.
