Four Ukrainians Dead After Ship Sinks in Black Sea

Six people are dead –​ including four Ukrainian citizens –​ after a Panama-flagged cargo ship sank while traveling from Russia to Turkey, according to Kyiv officials.

The accident happened around 150 kilometers from Turkey's southern province of Samsun. 13 crew members were on board the Volgo Balt 214 vessel, according to the Turkish government.

Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's Ambassador to Turkey, said on Twitter: "weather conditions caused a commercial ship to drown. Of the 13 crew members, 11 were citizens of Ukraine. Appropriate measures were promptly taken by the coast guard. Unfortunately, we failed to save four of our countrymen."

Samsun Governor Osman Kaymak said that the other seven crewmembers were rescued by the Turkish coast guard and hospitalized.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and IDPs reported on Facebook that the vessel could have been carrying coal originating from occupied areas of Donbas.