Ukraine drone attack sets fire to oil tanker carrying all-Indian crew off Russian coast
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Russian Transport Ministry on Tuesday said that drone attack by Ukraine triggered a fire on a Liberian-flagged oil tanker that was carrying an all-Indian crew off Russia’s Black Sea coast. All the 23 crew members have been rescued,.
The incident took place near Sochi, the popular Russian resort city on the Black Sea coast.
As per the Russian ministry, the tanker was attacked by “naval drones” after which crude oil caught fire in the Black Sea.
The blaze was so intense that firefighters were initially unable to tackle it, media reported.
It stated that firefighters would make another attempt to bring the fire under control once its intensity was reduced, while all 23 members of the crew were rescued following the attack.
The incident took place near Sochi, the popular Russian resort city on the Black Sea coast.
In videos going viral on the internet, bright orange flames could be seen burning out at sea, while a thick column of black smoke rises into the sky near Sochi.
In a social media post, the city’s mayor stated hat access to the coast and beaches was being restricted following the incident.
The attack came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast, killing one person and leaving another missing.
Ukrainian authorities claimed that the drone attack was launched by Russia. One Indian crew member was also injured in that incident.
