Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said drones attacked two commercial vessels off the country's coast, sinking one ship and injuring several people in an incident he called "absolutely unacceptable."
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Radev said the two ships were struck by sea and aerial drones at around 3 a.m. (00:00 GMT), some 70 nautical miles (130 km) off the Bulgarian coast. The incident comes amid rising attacks on Black Sea shipping from drone strikes linked to the expanding Russia-Ukraine war.
"This is an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law," Radev said.
According to Radev, the Togo-flagged vessel Alfa Watan suffered severe structural damage and sank on the spot. There was no immediate word on the fate of its crew, while Bulgarian authorities launched a large-scale search operation for missing sailors. Radev did not specify how many people were missing.
The second vessel, the Palau-flagged Able, caught fire after the attack. A Bulgarian ferry and a navy speedboat evacuated all 18 crew members. Two sailors were seriously injured and flown to a hospital in the port city of Varna, Radev said.
Initial information indicated the Able was carrying wheat and heading south, while the Alfa Watan was travelling north. Radev said it was not yet clear what cargo the Alfa Watan was carrying, and said authorities were monitoring the risk of an oil spill and other signs of environmental contamination.
The origin of the drones was not immediately determined. The double attack came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off Romania's coast, killing one person and leaving one missing. Ukraine said that incident was caused by a Russian drone attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described that attack as "a terrible strike by two Russian drones against a civilian vessel" in neutral waters.
"What is happening is seriously disrupting shipping in the Black Sea, pushing insurance costs even higher and making transportation extremely difficult," Radev said after an emergency meeting on Tuesday.
Black Sea shipping has been heavily affected by the Russia-Ukraine war in recent months. Radev warned the war is spreading geographically and raising the risk of a global conflict.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said Budapest "stands fully in solidarity with Bulgaria" after the attack on the two ships.
