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Two commercial ships reported struck by drones off Bulgaria

Euronews and Bulgarian public radio report drone strikes on the Alfa Watan and the Able in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone on 6 October. Rescuers are searching for the crew of one vessel, reported missing, while the other was rescued. Accounts describe a sinking and a fire. The origin of the drones and who launched them are not established.

Occurrence: 2026-10-06
Publication: 2026-10-06
First observed: 2026-10-06T09:52:19Z
Review status: Reviewed
Countries: BG
Updated: 2026-10-06T10:32:43Z

Attribution

Not specified

Facts

Alleged

Euronews reports drone strikes on the Alfa Watan and the Able off Bulgaria, a sinking, the rescue of the second crew and searches to find the missing crew; the outlet states that the origin of the drones has not been established.
Euronews reports that the Alfa Watan sank and that the Able caught fire in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.
The 18 crew members of the Able were rescued by the Bulgarian ferry Dioscuria; some were reported injured.

Unknown

No Russian operational actor is established by this source.
No Russian state responsibility is established by this source.
The origin of the drones and the responsible actor are not established.
The perpetrators and their intent have not been established.

Sources

Deux navires frappés par des drones en mer Noire au large de la Bulgarie

Role
primary_evidence

Date
2026-10-06T07:41:00Z

Les recherches se poursuivent pour retrouver l'équipage porté disparu, alors qu'aucun responsable n'a encore été désigné pour ce qui serait la première attaque contre le trafic maritime dans la zone économique de ce pays membre de l'OTAN.