Bucharest (AFP) – Romania said Friday one sailor had died and three were missing after a ship was struck by a drone and sank in the latest attack in the Black Sea that President Nicusor Dan blamed on Russia.
Several ships have been hit by drones off Romania and Bulgaria in recent weeks in what is believed to be spillover from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Khoryv cargo ship, flying the Comoros flag, was "struck by a drone and sank near Romanian territorial waters", Dan said in a Facebook post.
Speaking to reporters, Dan said the attack was "clearly part of the escalation that Russia is carrying out in the context of the war in Ukraine".
Romania launched a rescue operation after the Khoryv sent a distress signal around 10:00 am (0700 GMT) 13 nautical miles from the Romanian port of Constanta.
Romanian authorities said there were 10 Ukrainian and three Azerbaijani crew on board.
"Of the 13 people on board, 10 were rescued by another commercial vessel in the area, nine of whom were alive and one of whom had died. Three others are still missing," the interior ministry said in a statement.
It added that the vessel "sustained major damage and capsized".
"Due to adverse weather conditions and poor visibility, an aerial rescue operation by helicopter is not possible," said the the Romanian Naval Authority.
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