After the drone attack.. 9 Syrian sailors are missing in the Black Sea

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The Syrian Seafarers Syndicate announced the loss of contact with nine Syrian sailors who were on board the cargo ship "Alpha Watan", which sank in the Black Sea after being attacked by drones.

The ship, flying the Togolese flag and operated by a Turkey-based company, was attacked at dawn on Tuesday, October 6, within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, about 70 nautical miles from the Bulgarian coast. The attack led to the ship being severely damaged and sinking, according to Bulgarian authorities and Reuters.

According to the Syrian Seafarers Syndicate, there were nine Syrian sailors on board the ship, along with an Egyptian sailor, while no crew members have been found yet.

The ship issued a distress signal after it was attacked, before rescue teams arrived at the accident site. Search teams found an overturned boat and three lifeboats, in addition to life jackets and parts of the ship's equipment, but no crew members were found.

On October 7, the Bulgarian authorities announced the cessation of search operations, after none of the sailors were found.

The Syrian sailors are still missing, with no official announcement of their death. The Syrian Seafarers Syndicate had clarified that talk about the absence of survivors does not mean an official announcement of the death of the crew members.

This comes as questions continue about the circumstances of the attack and the fate of the sailors who were on board the ship when it was injured.

According to information reported by the Bulgarian Radio and Television Corporation from sources linked to the shipping sector, the ship had left the Egyptian port of Al-Arish on September 21, heading to the port of Solina in Romania via the Bosphorus Strait, before it was attacked in the Black Sea, while the circumstances of its targeting have not yet been finally clarified.

The Bulgarian authorities have not yet officially announced who is responsible for the attack. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said that the source of the drones had not been determined, noting that air and sea drones were used in the attack, according to Reuters.

On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of being behind the attack, although this accusation had not been independently confirmed, according to what Reuters reported.

For its part, Russia denied targeting the ship "Alpha Vatan" in the Black Sea, and the Russian embassy in Bulgaria said that it was not among the targets attacked by the Russian armed forces on the night of October 6, according to what was reported by the Russian "Nova" channel.

While search operations in the Black Sea have been closed, the fate of the nine Syrian sailors remains unknown, in an incident that adds a new chapter to the dangers facing ship crews in the region amid continuing war-related attacks in the Black Sea.