Ship Sinks Off Bulgaria After Drone Attack; 11 Sailors Missing
(MENAFN) Fourteen of the 16 crew members aboard the HS Dignity were Syrian, the Syrian Sailors Union said Tuesday, as rescuers kept searching for 11 sailors still unaccounted for after the vessel sank in a drone assault off the Bulgarian coast.
The union told a Syrian television channel that the ship went down after being hit by one aerial drone and two unmanned surface vessels. Five crew members have been pulled to safety, it said, while six boats and two helicopters are combing the area for the other 11.
The sinking follows Ukrainian claims that Russia is behind a string of attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea.
One week earlier, aerial and maritime drones struck two commercial vessels inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, roughly 70 nautical miles (130 kilometers) east of the coastal town of Byala. The Bulgarian government said the Togo-flagged Alpha Watan sank in that attack. A fire erupted on the second ship, the Palau-registered Ebel, whose 18 crew members were all rescued.
Syrian authorities said the Alpha Watan carried 10 crew, nine of them Syrian and one Egyptian. Bulgarian state television, however, reported last Wednesday that 12 Syrian sailors had been on board. Why the accounts of crew and missing numbers differ remains unclear. Last Thursday, Syria called for an “independent and transparent” investigation.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Bulgaria lacks clear, conclusive evidence to blame any particular party, but added that the fallout served Russia’s interests.
Bulgaria summoned the Russian ambassador over the attacks. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of targeting commercial vessels and endangering maritime security in the Black Sea.
Moscow said it had no knowledge of the latest attacks. The Russian Embassy in Bulgaria had earlier denied responsibility for the Oct. 6 attack.
The union told a Syrian television channel that the ship went down after being hit by one aerial drone and two unmanned surface vessels. Five crew members have been pulled to safety, it said, while six boats and two helicopters are combing the area for the other 11.
The sinking follows Ukrainian claims that Russia is behind a string of attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea.
One week earlier, aerial and maritime drones struck two commercial vessels inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, roughly 70 nautical miles (130 kilometers) east of the coastal town of Byala. The Bulgarian government said the Togo-flagged Alpha Watan sank in that attack. A fire erupted on the second ship, the Palau-registered Ebel, whose 18 crew members were all rescued.
Syrian authorities said the Alpha Watan carried 10 crew, nine of them Syrian and one Egyptian. Bulgarian state television, however, reported last Wednesday that 12 Syrian sailors had been on board. Why the accounts of crew and missing numbers differ remains unclear. Last Thursday, Syria called for an “independent and transparent” investigation.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Bulgaria lacks clear, conclusive evidence to blame any particular party, but added that the fallout served Russia’s interests.
Bulgaria summoned the Russian ambassador over the attacks. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of targeting commercial vessels and endangering maritime security in the Black Sea.
Moscow said it had no knowledge of the latest attacks. The Russian Embassy in Bulgaria had earlier denied responsibility for the Oct. 6 attack.
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