2 merchant ships attacked by drones near Bulgaria

SOFIA - Drones have attacked two merchant ships in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria, and at least one of them has sunk, the country's Government Information Service said on Tuesday.

At an extraordinary meeting with the country's security council, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said one ship was attacked around 1:30 a.m. local time (2230 GMT Monday), about 18 nautical miles east of the town of Byala.

Bulgarian authorities rescued all 15 crew members aboard the vessel, including seven Ukrainian nationals and eight Azerbaijani nationals, Radev said.

The ship, named "Chelsea 3," was flying the Maltese flag, registered in Odesa, Ukraine, and Ukrainian-owned, according to Radev. The crew said three aerial drones struck the vessel.

The crew members were safely transported to the port of Varna, where five of them received medical treatment, he added.

The information service said authorities also received information about another merchant ship that was hit about 17 nautical miles east of Krapets. The vessel sank, and one crew member was rescued.

The incident marked the second drone attack on merchant ships near Bulgaria within a week. On Oct. 6, unidentified drones sank one merchant ship and set another on fire about 70 nautical miles east of Byala, within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.

"Another attack on merchant ships in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters is absolutely unacceptable," Radev said.

Bulgaria's permanent representatives to NATO and the European Union have been notified, Radev said, adding that he was due to speak with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.