MFA: All eight Azerbaijani nationals aboard drone-attacked ship in Black Sea rescued

All eight Azerbaijani citizens aboard the Chelsea-3 cargo ship, which was attacked by a drone in the Black Sea, have been rescued.

One has been hospitalized in Varna, while the condition of the seven others is satisfactory, Spokesperson for Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, said, according to Report.

He said the vessel was attacked by a drone at around 1:30 a.m. on October 13, 18 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian city of Byala.

The Chelsea-3 had a crew of 15, eight of whom were Azerbaijani citizens.

"All our citizens have been rescued. One of them, Ramin Rauf oglu Gambarli, born in 1993, has been hospitalized at a military hospital in Varna and is under observation. The other seven Azerbaijani citizens have undergone initial medical examinations, and their condition is satisfactory," Hajizada said.

According to him, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, together with the country's diplomatic missions and the competent authorities of the relevant states, is coordinating efforts to address the situation.

Measures are being taken to provide the citizens with the necessary medical and consular assistance and arrange their safe return to Azerbaijan.

The Foreign Ministry once again urged citizens to refrain from travelling to conflict zones and areas with an unstable security situation.

The ministry also advised citizens against working aboard vessels operating on dangerous routes, particularly in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

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Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that drones had attacked two ships in the Black Sea, one of which sank. Eight Azerbaijani citizens were among the crew members of one of the vessels.

According to the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA), cited by Report, he said that the Malta-flagged vessel Chelsea 3 was attacked by three aerial drones 18 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian town of Byala.

"Another attack on merchant vessels in the immediate vicinity of Bulgaria"s territorial waters is absolutely unacceptable," Radev said.

All 15 crew members, including seven Ukrainian and eight Azerbaijani citizens, were rescued. Five of them sustained minor injuries.

According to Radev, the second vessel was attacked 17 nautical miles east of the settlement of Krapets and sank. One crew member was rescued.

The prime minister added that Bulgaria intended to seek international assistance to establish the origin of the drones. However, he stressed that Sofia did not yet have convincing evidence to accuse any party.