Search for missing crew after drones sink cargo ship off Bulgaria

A search is under way in the Black Sea for the crew of a cargo ship that sank after drones struck two commercial vessels off Bulgaria early on Tuesday.

Sea and aerial drones hit the ships at about 3am local time (2am CET), around 70 nautical miles east of the town of Byala in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.

The crew of the Bulgarian ferry Dioscuria, which was in the area, saw an explosion on the first ship and sailed to the scene, Radev confirmed. They found an overturned lifeboat and life jackets but no one from the crew.

Officials have not said how many people were on board.

The second ship caught fire and all 18 of its crew were rescued by the Dioscuria. Eleven are Turkish and seven Indian, according to the televised address from Radev.

Two of them were injured, one with burns and one with a head injury. A navy boat picked them up and was taking them to Varna, where military medical teams were standing by, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said according to local news outlet Nova Varna.

Read more: Euronews