Two merchant ships were attacked by sea and aerial drones around 3:00 a.m. some 70 nautical miles east of the coastal town of Byala, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on Tuesday, and Bulgaria is conducting a rescue operation in its exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. [E3][E4][E5][E6]
The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank at the scene. [E8] The Palau-flagged Able caught fire after the attack. [E9] A Bulgarian ferry evacuated all 18 crew members. [E9] Two sailors suffered severe injuries and were flown to a hospital in the port city of Varna, Radev said. [E9]
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at the start of a meeting with representatives of the institutions [E10] that the attack against two merchant ships in the Bulgarian economic zone is absolutely unacceptable [E1] and a gross violation of international law and of maritime affairs. [E2] The Associated Press reported that Radev said two commercial vessels were struck by drones on Tuesday in the first attack on shipping in the NATO member's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. [E7]