▲ Grain export vessels operating in the Black Sea (File Photo)
Two merchant ships were struck by unidentified drones off the Black Sea coast near Bulgaria, causing one to sink, AFP and Reuters reported on the 6th (local time).
According to foreign media reports, Bulgaria's public radio BNR cited rescue authorities as saying that cargo vessels sailing in the Black Sea, registered under Palau and Togo respectively, came under attack.
The crew members of the Togo-registered vessel, which sank in the incident, are currently missing.
It was reported that a significant number of the crew members aboard the Palau-registered ship have been rescued.
Rescue authorities are searching for the missing crew members in waters about 150 kilometers away from the coastal town of Byala.
Foreign media reported that the Bulgarian government has declined to comment on who was responsible for the attack.
Authorities plan to convene an emergency meeting later in the day to discuss the drone strike incident.
The attack came just a day after a fire broke out on a vessel in Romania's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Black Sea, leaving two people dead.
Ukraine claimed that the vessel was hit by a Russian drone attack.
Tensions have been escalating in the region recently as Russia intensifies its offensive against Black Sea ports and vessels in an apparent move to block Ukraine's grain exports.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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