Two people died and 11 crew members were rescued after the cargo ship Royad Mammadov, whose crew included Azerbaijani and Indian nationals, caught fire and sank in the Black Sea, Romanian authorities said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the civilian vessel, which was carrying corn, was struck by two Russian drones in neutral waters, according to APA and Report.
Zelenskiy said the ship’s captain was killed and the fate of another person was initially being determined. One of the 11 rescued crew members was injured. He said Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were aboard.
What Romanian Authorities Confirmed
Romania’s Interior Ministry said the incident occurred in the country’s exclusive economic zone, about 30 nautical miles south of Sfântu Gheorghe. The Coast Guard received an alert at about 11 a.m. local time.
Romanian authorities confirmed the fire, the vessel’s sinking, two deaths and the rescue of 11 crew members. A helicopter was used to evacuate injured people for emergency medical treatment.
Romania did not identify the cause of the fire. The assertion that Russian drones struck the vessel therefore remains based on the Ukrainian account, according to reports by Reuters and the Associated Press.
Ship Was Heading to Italy
The St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged ship had called at the Ukrainian port of Izmail and was sailing to Ravenna, Italy. Ukrainian officials said it was owned by a Turkish company and was carrying grain.
Russian authorities did not immediately comment on the incident. Russia’s Defense Ministry earlier said it had struck two cargo ships that it alleged were carrying military supplies, but no official connection between that statement and the sinking of the Royad Mammadov has been established.
The nationalities of the two people who died and the condition of the Azerbaijani crew members had not been officially disclosed at the time of publication.