Romanian media are reporting that a drone struck a cargo ship off the Romanian coast, causing a deadly fire that injured 11 people and killed two. Authorities have not confirmed whether an unmanned aerial vehicle was responsible for the fatal blaze.
Two people have died and almost a dozen people have beeninjured after a ship carrying grain caught fire off in the Black Sea Monday afternoon outside Romania's territorial waters.
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According to Reuters, citing Romanian authorities, those injured were crew members of the Royad Mammadov, which Romanian media outlets, including Digi24, report is a Turkish-flagged vessel.
The ship was hit by one or two drones, Romania's PRO TV News reported, but the source of the blaze has not been confirmed by Romanian authorities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement on social media platform X that there was a "horrific drone strike" by "two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Türkiye."
"Ukraine has repeatedly proposed concrete steps to de-escalate the situation and ensure security in the Black Sea. There have also been relevant proposals from third countries," Zelenskyy's statement says.
"But Russia consistently chooses terror and sinking civilian vessels instead of normal maritime navigation. Pressure is needed to restore global food security. And everyone who is genuinely interested in this must help."
The incident comes as countries along Europe’s eastern flank, including NATO member Romania, continue to be inundated with unmanned aerial vehicles, many of which originate from Russia. Turkey is also a member of NATO.
In August, a fighter jet destroyed an explosive-laden maritime drone close to Europe's largest offshore gas project in the Black Sea. It occurred hours after another drone entered Romania's airspace and crashed near the Ukrainian border.
Romania's President Nicuşor Dan then blamed Russia for the incident and condemned what he called an escalation of "irresponsible incidents" by Moscow.
This is a developing news story.