Russian biggest ballistic Missile Strike on Grain Ship in Black Sea Kills Five Crew Members, Ukraine Says
KYIV: A Russian missile strike on a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain from the Ukrainian port of Odesa killed at least five crew members and left five others missing on Sunday, according to Ukrainian officials, in the latest attack to threaten civilian shipping in the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s Navy said three Russian missiles struck the starboard side of the Golden Leo, igniting a major fire aboard the civilian vessel as it sailed with a grain shipment from Odesa.
Despite the blaze, the Ukrainian Navy rescued eight crew members from the ship, officials said.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskiy said in a social media post that two of the rescued sailors were injured and taken to a hospital in Odesa for treatment.
“As of this moment, the bodies of five crew members have been recovered. The fate of five sailors remains unknown,” Koretskiy said.
Emergency responders and rescue teams continued search operations late Sunday in an effort to locate the missing crew members.
The attack underscores the continuing risks to commercial shipping in the Black Sea, a vital route for Ukraine’s grain exports that has repeatedly come under threat since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
There was no immediate comment from Russia regarding the reported strike, and the claims could not be independently verified.
Authorities have not disclosed the identities or nationalities of the victims, while the full extent of the damage to the vessel remains under assessment.