Romanian authorities reported this Wednesday the rescue of three sailors in the Black Sea after two ships collided and one of them sank while participating in the towing operations of a vessel hit in an attack off the coasts of Ukraine.
The Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs has detailed that the three rescued were taken to the "Odin", of Dutch flag, and that it is sailing toward a Romanian port, while it has clarified that the other four crew members of the "Aziz Bey" refused to leave the ship, claiming that "they do not need assistance".
According to the official account, the "Aziz Bey" sent a distress signal at dawn after it struck the "Mentor", which was being towed by this ship and by a second vessel after "suffering damage in waters of Ukraine, near the port of Odesa, while heading to Turkey".
The Interior portfolio clarified that "the vessel that was being towed had no crew on board" and stressed that the "adverse weather conditions" in the area caused "the break in the towing link" and the subsequent collision between the "Aziz Bey" and the "Mentor", an incident that ended with the sinking of the first.
After the incident, Romania set in motion a search and rescue device that is being carried out "under particularly difficult conditions due to the wind and choppy seas that for now do not allow the deployment of aerial resources".
"The priority of all personnel involved is to save lives. Search and rescue operations continue", the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs said, adding that it will release more data as the tasks in the area progress.