Black Sea ship sinking kills two as further drone strikes reported

A Turkish cargo ship caught fire and sank in the Black Sea off Romania on October 5. Romanian authorities confirmed two deaths and said 11 people were rescued, according to World News CNA.

The vessel was in Romania's exclusive economic zone, about 30 nautical miles, or 55 kilometres, south of Sfantul Gheorghe. Romania's Coast Guard was alerted at around 11 am local time, NDTV News reported, citing the Interior Ministry.

The cause remains disputed rather than established. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russian drones, according to The Independent, but Romanian authorities did not specify what caused the fire.

On October 5, Romanian authorities identified the burning vessel as the 139-metre Royad Mammadov and reported two casualties and 11 survivors, according to News18. Local media said it was carrying grain and had been hit by a drone, Deutsche Welle reported.

Reports differed over the toll and the condition of those rescued. Euronews described two deaths and 11 injuries, while Romanian authorities' account carried by World News CNA described 11 people rescued. Indian Express reported one death in its headline, against the two confirmed by Romanian authorities.

Three Indian nationals were among the crew. One sustained injuries and received medical care, according to Times of India. On October 6, NDTV News reported that India had responded to reports of a Russian attack by calling the aggression "completely unacceptable."

Also on October 6, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said two commercial vessels had been hit by drones in Bulgaria's economic zone. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank, with no immediate information about its crew's fate, according to The Hindu.

Bulgarian authorities launched a search for missing crew, AFP reported. Helicopters and a military jet joined the search, according to Euronews. ARD Tagesschau also reported several injuries aboard the other merchant ship.

The Romanian sinking has a confirmed toll of two dead and 11 rescued, but the supplied coverage contains no Romanian confirmation of a drone strike. Romania's defence ministry did not respond when asked whether a drone had hit the ship, according to World News CNA.

Off Bulgaria, the immediate concern is the missing crew of the Alfa Watan. Mint reported that Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the crew was missing. These are separate incidents from the sinking off Romania a day earlier, as Euronews reported.

The search off Bulgaria remains the most urgent unresolved development. The supplied reports do not establish how many people were aboard the Alfa Watan or their fate, according to the account in The Hindu.

For the Romanian incident, the central unanswered question is what caused the fire. Zelensky's accusation and local reports of a drone strike have not been matched by confirmation from Romanian authorities, according to Deutsche Welle.