Horror explosion as ship sinks off coast of holiday hotspot filled with Brits
A ship has sunk and another has been damaged in a horror drone attack off the coast of a European holiday hotspot popular with British tourists. Two vessels were struck by drones in the Black Sea off Bulgaria in the early hours of Tuesday, triggering emergency rescue operations in the second such incident in the space of a week. The Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, which was sailing under the Maltese flag, was hit by three drones at around 1.30am when it was around 18 nautical miles (33km) off the Bulgarian coast, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. Its crew of seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis were rescued, with five receiving medical assistance. None was seriously injured.
TL;DR
- Two ships, the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3 and the Azov Concord, were struck by drones off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.
- The Chelsea 3 was hit by three drones and its crew of 15 were rescued, with five receiving medical attention.
- The Azov Concord sank, and at least one crew member was rescued.
- Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the attacks, called them unacceptable, and summoned Russia's ambassador.
- Bulgaria is seeking assistance from NATO and the European Union to investigate the attacks and enhance surveillance.
- Authorities have not established clear evidence of responsibility but suggest the outcome benefits Russia.
- These incidents follow similar drone attacks on commercial vessels in the region the previous week.