Picnews
Two crew members have died while 11 others were rescued after a commercial vessel caught fire in the Black Sea before later sinking, Romanian authorities said on Monday.
Romania’s Interior Ministry said the Coast Guard border police were alerted at about 11:00 a.m. that a fire had broken out aboard the vessel while it was operating within Romania’s exclusive economic zone, about 30 nautical miles south of Sfantu Gheorghe on the country’s Black Sea coast.
According to the ministry, 11 crew members were rescued, while two others were confirmed dead.
The cause of the fire had not been established at the time of the announcement.
The Romanian authorities later confirmed that the vessel sank. Injured crew members were evacuated from the ship by helicopter.
There were also questions over whether the vessel may have been struck by a drone, amid increased drone activity in parts of Eastern Europe linked to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. However, Romania’s Defence Ministry had not provided a response to inquiries on the possibility.
The incident occurred as Romania and other countries in the region continue to monitor increased drone activity associated with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
