All eight Azerbaijani citizens aboard the cargo ship CHELSEA-3, which was targeted in a drone attack near the Bulgarian coast in the Black Sea, have been rescued. One of them has been admitted to a military hospital.
Aykhan Hajizada, head of the press service department of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided the information in response to an inquiry.
According to Hajizada, the cargo ship CHELSEA-3 came under a drone attack at around 1:30 a.m. on October 13 in the Black Sea, approximately 18 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian town of Byala.
He said all eight Azerbaijani citizens among the ship’s 15 crew members had been rescued. One of them, Ramin Rauf oglu Gambarli, born in 1993, has been admitted to a military hospital in Varna, where his condition is being monitored.
The other seven Azerbaijani citizens underwent initial medical examinations, and their condition was assessed as satisfactory.
Hajizada noted that Azerbaijan’s diplomatic missions were coordinating with the relevant authorities in the countries concerned.
"Necessary measures are being taken to provide our citizens with the required medical and consular assistance and to arrange their safe return to Azerbaijan," he emphasized.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry official also urged citizens to avoid travelling to areas affected by military operations and where the security situation remains unstable.
He further warned that working aboard transport vessels operating in such areas and along high-risk routes, particularly in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, could be dangerous.
It should be noted that a cargo ship was targeted in a drone attack near the Bulgarian town of Byala, leaving six sailors injured.
Mario Smarkov, governor of Bulgaria’s Varna Province, said the crew of the CHELSEA-3 consisted of seven Ukrainian and eight Azerbaijani citizens.