Two dead after fire breaks out on sinking ship in Black Sea as Zelensky blames Russian drones

Two people have died and 11 others were rescued following a fire on board a ship outside Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea, Romanian authorities said on Monday, as Ukraine accused Russia of targeting the vessel with drones.Romania's interior ministry stated that 11 crew members were saved from the ship, which subsequently sank. The country's Naval Authority confirmed the vessel involved was the Royad Mammadov.Although Romanian officials did not elaborate on the cause of the blaze, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russian drones for the attack. He confirmed one fatality and stated that a second individual remained missing."A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Türkiye. Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were on board," Zelensky posted on social media platform X.Two people have died in the incident in the Black Sea (Romanian Interior Ministry)"As of now, unfortunately, we know that the ship's captain was killed. My condolences. The fate of one other person is still being established. Eleven crew members were rescued, one of them injured."Russian officials offered no immediate comment, though an earlier daily briefing from the Russian Defence Ministry noted that Russian forces had hit two cargo vessels.Local media reported that the incident took place near an offshore oil platform operated by Romanian energy firm OMV Petrom, which confirmed to news outlet HotNews.ro that its facilities were functioning as normal.Flying under the flag of St Kitts & Nevis, the vessel was travelling to Ravenna in Italy, having previously docked at the Ukrainian port of Izmail, according to VesselFinder.com.Nato member Romania shares a 614-km (382-mile) border with Ukraine. Since the conflict began four years ago, the country has frequently recorded Russian drones entering its airspace and floating mines drifting across crucial shipping and energy corridors in the Black Sea.