Russian drones strike 2 chemical tankers in Romanian waters, 7 crew members missing
Russia once again attacks foreign tankers (photo: flickr.com)
On the night of October 15, Russia launched another aerial attack on Romania, targeting the country's territorial waters, Romanian President Nicușor Dan said, according to Sky News.
According to the president, two chemical tankers caught fire in Romanian territorial waters overnight after Russian drones violated the country's airspace.
Dan officially confirmed that the foreign vessels had been struck by drones.
He added that the tankers were anchored in the Black Sea near the mouth of a canal leading to the Danube River at the time of the attack.
According to Dan, the Romanian maritime authorities first received a distress signal from the San Marino-flagged tanker Wine Trader.
Shortly afterward, the Comoros-flagged chemical tanker Yara J, which was carrying oil and chemicals, also caught fire.
Romanian officials said rescuers are still searching for seven missing crew members from the Wine Trader. Another five people have been rescued.
Drones are increasingly entering Romanian airspace
On September 29, debris from an unidentified object resembling a drone was discovered in eastern Romania. A fire broke out at the crash site but later went out on its own. No injuries or property damage were reported.
Earlier, on the night of September 27, an unidentified aerial target entered Romanian airspace near the Ukrainian border. Two fighter jets and a Romanian military helicopter were deployed to track it. The target remained over Romanian territory for several minutes before its signal disappeared.
In addition, on August 16, Romania reported shooting down a drone that had violated its airspace. A Spanish F-18 fighter jet conducting a NATO air policing mission received authorization to engage the target and shot it down.
