Eleven crew members are considered missing, while the other five were rescued after the merchant vessel Azov Concord was struck in the Black Sea near Bulgaria. Novinite reports, as cited by UNN.
Details
During a briefing in Varna, Bulgarian Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Lyubomir Nikolov said that most of the crew members of the Azov Concord are Syrian nationals, while three others are Egyptian. Earlier, Dobrich Province Governor Ruslan Tomov reported that 11 crew members were considered missing.
Nikolov also confirmed that all 15 crew members of the second vessel, CHELSEA 3, which was struck approximately 18 miles east of the town of Byala, were rescued. The crew consisted of eight Azerbaijanis and seven Ukrainians. At the same time, he noted that Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry could not definitively confirm that the Azov Concord had sunk. CHELSEA 3, meanwhile, remained afloat and drifted without a crew after the sailors were evacuated.
Nikolov added that police were questioning all those who were rescued. Regarding the CHELSEA 3, he said that the crew had seen drones circling the vessel and heard three explosions before abandoning the ship.
Previously
The Malta-flagged vessel Chelsea 3 was attacked by three drones near Bulgaria. All 15 crew members were rescued, while another vessel sank.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukrainian citizens were injured during Russia’s latest strike on commercial vessels near Bulgarian territorial waters.