Moscow, April 5, (dpa/GNA) – A Russian freighter loaded with grain, has sunk in the Sea of Azov, Russian authorities said on Sunday.
At least one sailor has died and two men are still missing, said Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed head of the partially occupied southern Ukrainian region of Kherson.
The Russian state news agency TASS, reported that the ship was struck by a drone, with two fatalities in total.
According to media reports, the Volgo-Balt-class vessel sank 300 nautical miles (555 kilometres) north of the city of Kerch, which lies on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
Nine members of the crew had managed to reach the coast of the Kherson region, and are receiving “medical and psychological assistance,” Saldo said.
“The circumstances of the incident are currently being clarified, and investigations are under way,” he added.
The Kherson region is largely administered by Russian occupiers, though the regional capital of the same name remains under Kiev’s control.
Heavy fighting is raging in the region. Ukraine lost control of its part of the Sea of Azov in the course of the Russian invasion, which has been ongoing for more than four years.
Kiev has repeatedly attacked Russian ships in the region, and has sunk oil tankers.
Ukraine has also accused Moscow of stealing grain from farmers in the occupied territories of Kherson to sell it on the global market.
GNA