One of the survivors from the merchant vessel Able stated after rescue that, in his personal experience, the strike was not from the air but from below the surface of the sea. "It was not a drone, it was underwater," said the Turkish sailor. He added that he believed the vessel had been hit by an underwater bomb.
The sailor made the assumption that the attack was Russian, given that the Able was carrying Ukrainian cargo. "I am from Turkey. I think the Russians sent an underwater bomb, after which a fire broke out. It was not from the air, it was underwater. I think it was Russian because we were carrying Ukrainian cargo," he said. His claim, as well as the assessment of who carried out the attack, has not yet been independently verified.
Bulgarian authorities stated that the attack on the two vessels was combined, involving both sea and air drones. Who sent them has not yet been officially determined. The attack occurred around 3 am in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, approximately 130 kilometres from the Bulgarian coast.
Two merchant vessels were hit: the Alfa Waden, flying the flag of Togo, and the Able, flying the flag of Palau. The Alfa suffered severe structural damage and sank, while Bulgarian authorities launched a search for its crew, for whom no confirmed information on their fate is yet available. On the Able, a large fire broke out after the impact. All 18 members of the crew left the vessel, and they were rescued by the Bulgarian ferry Dioscuria. Two sailors were seriously injured and taken to a hospital in Varna, where the crew was taken. According to Bulgarian authorities, the Able was carrying wheat and heading south.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister stated that the attack was complex and that both sea and air drones were used. "We are yet to determine where the attack came from," said the Prime Minister. The attack was described as a serious violation of international and maritime law. "This is a completely unacceptable attack in Bulgarian exclusive economic waters," he said, noting that the incident occurred outside Bulgarian territorial waters but within the country's exclusive economic zone.
Reuters reported that a source in the maritime security sector stated that initial assessments indicated the attack was likely Russian, although Bulgarian authorities have not yet identified the responsible party. Russia had not immediately commented on the incident.
The attack comes just a day after another fatal incident in the Black Sea. A Turkish merchant vessel carrying corn caught fire following an attack outside Romanian territorial waters and subsequently sank. Two people were killed, and 11 members of the crew were rescued. The Ukrainian President blamed Russian drones for the attack, while Russia had not yet accepted responsibility for the incident.
