11 sailors missing after drone strike sinks merchant vessel near Bulgarian waters

By Lauren Kent, Svitlana Vlasova, CNN

(CNN) — Eleven sailors are missing following a drone attack on a vessel off the coast of Bulgaria, according to Bulgarian officials, prompting the country’s government to summon the Russian ambassador.

Overnight there were two attacks on merchant vessels in the Black Sea, Bulgarian officials said, with one Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship, the “HS Dignity,” being sunk 15 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian village of Krapets – leading to an urgent search and rescue operation.

The search for the missing crew members – believed to be Syrian and Egyptian nationals – is still ongoing as of Tuesday afternoon, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry told CNN. Five people in the 16-person crew had already been rescued by other merchant vessels, the ministry said.

Another vessel called the “Chelsea 3,” which sails under the Maltese flag but is Ukrainian-owned, was struck by three drones as it sailed off the coast of Byala, Bulgaria.

Bulgarian border police said they rescued the entire crew of that vessel, which included seven Ukrainian nationals and eight Azerbaijani nationals, some of whom were injured in the attack. All were safely transported to the port of Varna, where the injured crew members received medical assistance, authorities said.

The country’s president and prime minister both strongly condemned the attacks in the vicinity of Bulgarian waters, which they indicated were likely connected to Russia.

“Bulgaria continues to seek support for an investigation into the attacks to determine the country of origin of the drones,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said in a social media post on Tuesday.

“We do not have clear and conclusive evidence to attribute responsibility to either side. However, as I have already stated, the logic suggests that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation,” Radev added. “I will therefore summon the Russian Ambassador for a meeting today.”

Russian authorities did not immediately comment on the incidents.

Radev added that he informed NATO allies and the European Union of the attacks, as Bulgaria seeks assistance to strengthen air and maritime surveillance and defense.

“The Black Sea has become another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine. This is unacceptable,” European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen said in a statement, condemning the attack without explicitly mentioning Russia.

“I strongly condemn the drone attacks on merchant ships near Bulgaria’s coast,” she said. “Those responsible should be held accountable.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a statement that the alliance “will continue to work closely with our Allies in the Black Sea” and has “already strengthened our posture along the eastern flank.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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