One Dead, Three Missing as a Cargo Ship Sinks Off Romania
One crew member is dead and three are missing after the Khoryv sank off Constanța. Romania's president said a drone hit the vessel, but its origin and the definitive cause of the sinking remain unconfirmed.
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by Sami Haddad
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A cargo ship sank near Romania's Black Sea coast on October 23, leaving one sailor dead and three missing, as the country's president blamed Russia for a drone strike.
Romanian authorities said nine of the Khoryv's 13 crew members were rescued and one body was recovered. The Comoros-flagged ship sent a distress signal at about 10 a.m. Romanian time, roughly 13 nautical miles from the port of Constanța and outside Romanian territorial waters.
The sinking puts another commercial vessel among the casualties of a dangerous period for shipping in the western Black Sea. NATO has announced additional surveillance resources for the region, while Romania is considering faster development of maritime defences.
President Nicușor Dan said the Khoryv had been struck by a drone and accused Moscow of escalating attacks on NATO's eastern flank. "It is part of Russia's escalation process in its war in Ukraine," he said.
That attribution remains an accusation. Romanian authorities have not established the definitive cause of the sinking, and the origin of the suspected drone has not been confirmed. Dan's statement does not by itself establish who launched it.
