Drone attack on cargo ship off Bulgaria injures six sailors, including Azerbaijanis

A drone attack on a cargo ship near the Bulgarian town of Byala has injured six sailors. All 15 crew members were evacuated from the vessel.

According to Novinite.com, Varna Regional Governor Mario Smarkov confirmed the incident.

The crew of the Chelsea 3 consisted of seven Ukrainian and eight Azerbaijani nationals, he said.

Five of the injured sailors sustained minor injuries, while another suffered burns and was taken to the Military Medical Academy in Varna. Earlier reports also indicated that one of the injured crew members had sustained a serious head injury.

According to Smarkov, authorities were notified of the incident at around 2 a.m. A Border Police patrol vessel evacuated the crew and brought them to the Varna Sea Terminal at approximately 2:30 a.m.

The governor said all crew members had been rescued and no one had suffered life-threatening injuries.
The Chelsea 3 was travelling from Türkiye to Moldova to transport cargo. On its previous voyage, the vessel had carried grain from Ukraine to Türkiye and was returning after unloading its cargo.

Meanwhile, a second vessel was reportedly sunk near Krapets. Preliminary information indicates that at least four people were rescued, while the fate of the other individuals aboard the sunken ship remains unclear.

Image: AP

• Tags:
• Azerbaijan
• Black Sea
• Ukraine
• Moldova
• Bulgaria
• Turkiye