Three Indian Sailors Survive Black Sea Ship Attack Off Romania

Three Indian nationals among the crew of the Turkish cargo ship MV Royad Mammadov are safe after the vessel was struck and sunk in the Black Sea on Monday in an attack that left two people dead, India's embassy in Romania said. One of the Indian sailors was injured and is being treated at Constanța County Hospital, while the other two are unharmed, the embassy confirmed. India's Ambassador to Romania, Manoj Mohapatra, visited the three crew members at the hospital and spoke with the chief physician, who confirmed all three are in good health and receiving necessary care. The embassy said it remains in close contact with hospital authorities and Romanian officials to gather further details on the crew's welfare. The two people killed were foreign nationals, according to preliminary information from the mission, and other injured crew are also being treated in Romania. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia for the attack, saying two Russian drones struck the civilian vessel in neutral waters. He identified the ship as Turkish-owned, carrying corn, with Azerbaijani and Indian crew aboard, and said the captain was among those killed. He put the number of rescued crew at 11, one injured. Romania's Interior Ministry said two crew died and 11 were rescued after the coast guard was alerted to a fire aboard the ship around 11:00 local time. The 139-metre, Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged vessel was sailing from Ukraine's Izmail to Ravenna, Italy, and sank about 30 nautical miles south of Sfântu Gheorghe, within Romania's exclusive economic zone. No Russian response has been reported, and the drone attribution remains unconfirmed.