Five Rescued, 11 Missing After Merchant Vessel Sinks Off Bulgarian Coast Following Drone and Bomb Attacks

Five individuals have been successfully rescued from the merchant vessel HS Dignity after it sank in the Black Sea near the Bulgarian coast on Tuesday. Captain Al-Sayed al-Shazly al-Naggar, head of the Egyptian Maritime System and International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) representative in Egypt, confirmed the rescue on Tuesday. The vessel was reportedly carrying a crew of 16 sailors, comprising 14 Syrians and two Egyptians, and was en route from Algeria to Braila, Romania. Intensive search operations are currently underway for the 11 sailors who remain missing. Captain Ashraf Mamdouh is among the survivors, while Captain Mustafa al-Ghazy is unaccounted for.

According to reports, the HS Dignity was struck by drones and bombs in the Black Sea, leading to its sinking. This incident is distinct from an attack targeting the Chelsea 3, though both vessels were reportedly attacked simultaneously in the same vicinity, with the HS Dignity sinking and the Chelsea 3 surviving.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister has condemned the attacks as “absolutely unacceptable” and indicated plans to seek assistance from NATO and the European Union. The President of the European Commission has characterized the Black Sea as a “new front” in the ongoing conflict and denounced the attacks on commercial vessels.