Two people are missing after a Russian freighter with a crew of 16 sank off Spain’s Mediterranean coast while reportedly on a mission to resupply Russian troops in Syria.
The other 14 members of the cargo ship Ursa Major were rescued on Monday evening after an explosion struck the vessel, reported the newspaper La Opinión de Murcia and other media, citing the Spanish maritime rescue service.
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident, saying the ship sank in the international waters of the Mediterranean after a blast in the engine room. Russian media said the 142-metre-long freighter was a supply ship for Russian troops in Syria.
Spanish media reports said the explosion occurred around midday on Monday between the port city of Águilas in south-eastern Spain and Oran, a city in Algeria. The rescue operation took place in the waters near Cartagena.
Nothing was initially said about the cause of the accident. The Red Cross in Spain reportedly mobilized a team of doctors and psychological support specialists to care for the rescued people and has also organized emergency accommodation.
The Spanish rescue ship Clara Campoamor and a patrol boat of the Spanish Navy remain at the scene of the incident in case further help is needed and also to monitor whether fuel is leaking from the 15-year-old freighter.
Ursa Major was built in 2009 and placed under sanction after Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine in 2022 because of the ship owner’s role in delivering cargo to the Russian military.(DPA)