At least two people have died after a grain tanker was hit by a suspected drone in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania, reports the “Sun“ newspaper. A fire broke out on board the vessel upon impact, News.bg reports.
Another 11 crew members, including the ship's captain, were injured in the explosion. The rescue operation is ongoing.
The vessel had recently left the port of Izmail in southern Ukraine and was sailing towards Ravenna, Italy, when a fire broke out on board. Several rescue boats were dispatched to the scene and joined the search operation.
Rescue teams found 13 missing crew members, two of whom were dead. The remaining injured were rushed to hospital by helicopter.
Romanian maritime authorities said the first report of the incident was received at 10:37 a.m. local time this morning. Panicked crew members called for help, informing emergency services that a fire had broken out on board.
The impact is believed to have occurred about 9 miles from the Pescurus platform, an offshore oil and gas platform in the Black Sea.
It is not yet confirmed whether the explosion was caused by a shell. According to sources quoted by local media outlet “Pro TV News“, the ship was hit by “two or three drones“.
The grain tanker “Royad Mamadov“ flies under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis and is approximately 140 meters long.
The vessel was hit about 20 miles off the Romanian coast. Romania is a NATO member and has been hit in the past by Russian drones that deviated from their course.
In recent weeks, Vladimir Putin has stepped up attacks on Ukraine, as well as sabotage operations in Europe.
Romania, Estonia, Poland and a number of other NATO countries have witnessed shells hitting their territory and have scrambled fighter jets.