Black Sea: 11 missing after cargo ship sinks off Bulgaria
Two merchant ships were hit by drones. All 15 sailors on Chelsea 3 were rescued, while the search for HS Dignity's crew continues. Responsibility has not been established.
Eleven sailors are missing after a cargo ship sank off Krapets in the Black Sea, while a second merchant vessel was hit by drones off Byala, according to the Bulgarian government and a later toll reported by Reuters on 13 October 2026.
Chelsea 3: the entire crew was rescued
Bulgaria's government said the Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3 was struck — according to the crew's account — by three aerial drones about 18 nautical miles east of Byala. All 15 sailors, seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, were taken to Varna. Five received medical assistance; Reuters reported that none was seriously injured.
HS Dignity: search for missing sailors
The second vessel sank about 17 nautical miles east of Krapets. The initial government statement reported one survivor. In a later update, Bulgarian officials told Reuters that five crew members had been rescued and 11 remained missing. Reuters said President Iliana Iotova identified the vessel as the Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity.
The search-and-rescue operation is continuing. The different figures in the first official statement and the later toll reflect the developing operation, not a final assessment.
Responsibility remains unclear
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the Russian ambassador would be summoned and that NATO and the European Union had been informed. He said the outcome of the attacks benefited the Russian Federation, but stressed that there was not yet solid and clear evidence to accuse any side.
After a meeting in Sofia, the Russian ambassador said she had no information from Russia's Defence Ministry and did not rule out a third-party provocation. That is the Russian side's position, not an established investigative finding.
What we are watching: the official search-and-rescue toll, the condition of the survivors and any findings on the origin of the drones.
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