Bulgaria has halted the search for the crew of the vessel that sank after the drone attack in the Black Sea

Bulgaria has halted search operations for the crew of a ship that sank on Tuesday, after it was hit by a drone in the country's exclusive economic zone, approximately 130 kilometers from the coast. The crew members remain missing, and the operation will not resume on Wednesday.

Vice Admiral Rumen Nikolov, of the Executive Agency for Maritime Administration, said that no trace of the sailors had been found. Response teams recovered a boat, three life rafts, and fragments of the ship's equipment, but did not identify any remains of the drone.

The attack targeted two ships off the coast of the town of Byala, in eastern Bulgaria. One sank, while the other was damaged; its crew was rescued. The incident occurred in a search-and-rescue area under Bulgaria's responsibility, but outside its territorial waters.

The authorities have not established who launched the attack. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said it was unclear whether the drones came from Russia or Ukraine, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a joint investigation indicated Russia's involvement. Following the incident, the government in Sofia intends to purchase five more surface-to-air missile systems.