Seven missing off Romania after latest Black Sea drone attacks

A chemical tanker in the Black Sea was still smouldering and more than half of its crew remained missing. Hours after the San Marino wine trader reported a fire on board at around 7am on Thursday morning, the sailors who were rescued were airlifted to hospital for assessment. Wrapped in emergency blankets, they described what happened. Remember, was it a drone or maybe two? Three drones. Three drones? Three. The Romanian president, Nicolae Dan, confirmed the ship was hit by drones in his country's territorial waters and added that another vessel, the Comoros-flagged Yarra J, was also struck nearby during the evening. Both were anchored in the Black Sea near the mouth of the Sulina Canal on a major shipping route used by Ukraine. In Brussels, Dan met with NATO Chief Mark Rutte and the Bulgarian Prime Minister to discuss the situation as Russia's war with Ukraine continues to spill over. Obviously there are attempts by Russia not only against Romania and Bulgaria, but against European countries, especially those on the eastern flank, to destabilise societies and to reduce support for Ukraine. And our response is, we continue to support Ukraine. In the past 10 days, at least 23 sailors have been lost due to strikes on at least five other cargo ships off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria. On Thursday, Bulgaria's Prime Minister condemned what he called unacceptable aggression against commercial and civilian vessels. And Rutte said NATO has strengthened its posture along its eastern flank and would continue to work closely with its allies in the Black Sea.