Sofia: Two commercial vessels were struck by drones on Tuesday within Bulgaria's Exclusive Economic Zone in the Black Sea, marking the first such attack on shipping in the NATO member's economic waters.

Speaking after an emergency government meeting, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated that the vessels were targeted by multiple drones roughly 80 miles (128 km) off the Bulgarian coast. The origin of the drones has not yet been established.

One of the targeted ships, the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan, sustained severe structural damage and sank. Radev later confirmed to reporters that the crew of the sunken vessel "remains missing". Search teams reaching the location spotted overturned life rafts and life jackets, but no survivors have been recovered so far, with officials yet to specify the total number of missing crew members.

The second vessel, the Palau-flagged Able, caught fire during the strike. A Bulgarian ferry successfully evacuated all 18 crew members. According to Radev, two sailors who suffered severe injuries were airlifted to a hospital in Varna for treatment. (AFP)