Bulgaria calls off search for crew of sunken cargo ship Alpha Watan

The search operation for the crew of the cargo ship Alpha Watan, which sank off the coast of Bulgaria's Byala, has been called off and will not be resumed. No trace of the sailors has been found, said Rumen Nikolov, director of the General Directorate for Emergency and Rescue Activities at Bulgaria's Executive Agency Maritime Administration.

Drones hit two ships in the Black Sea 80 nautical miles off the Bulgarian coast

According to Nikolov, the operation was terminated at 5 p.m. on October 6, as the search and rescue phase had been completed. The only items found at the scene were an overturned lifeboat, three life rafts and parts of the vessel’s equipment, which remained afloat on the surface of the sea.

According to information received from a Bulgarian vessel that came to the ship’s assistance following the drone attack, the vessel sank within seconds after an extremely powerful explosion. Given the speed with which it went down, hopes of finding survivors are extremely slim.

Rumen Nikolov also said that the wreckage would not be inspected underwater by Bulgarian authorities, as this does not fall within Bulgaria’s responsibilities.

The condition of the second vessel that was hit also remains critical, although its crew was rescued. The ship sustained severe damage to its stern, while the engine room is almost completely flooded. According to Nikolov, there is a very high likelihood that the vessel will also sink, BNR correspondent in Varna Daniela Stoynova reported.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov