Drone sinks cargo ship Khoryv in Black Sea off Romania; one dead, three missing

A drone struck and sank the Comoros-flagged cargo ship Khoryv in the Black Sea on Friday, Oct. 23, killing one crew member and leaving three missing, Romanian officials said. The ship sent a distress signal around 10:00 a.m. (0700 GMT) about 13 nautical miles from the port of Constanta, near Romania's territorial waters, and Romania launched a rescue operation. Authorities said the crew was 10 Ukrainians and three Azerbaijanis. The naval authority said nine were rescued and teams were still searching for the other three. MarineTraffic data shows the ship left Turkey on Oct. 21 bound for Romania's Sulina port. President Nicusor Dan blamed Russia, calling the strike part of an escalation tied to the war in Ukraine, and urged Moscow to accept U.S. and European cease-fire proposals. At least seven other cargo vessels have been attacked this month off Romania and Bulgaria, leaving two dead and 25 missing.

Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while alternative/independent and right-leaning outlets had. The right-leaning New York Post puts Russia in its headline as the attacker, and it carries the full Dan quote urging Moscow to accept cease-fire proposals. It adds the MarineTraffic route, the hull video and the toll from earlier attacks. The Hindu, in the alternative group, headlines Romania's blame instead, cites Dan's Facebook post and his remarks to reporters, and reports a different rescue figure of 10 from another vessel. The AP text matches the Post's opening. With no left-leaning coverage, no left-right comparison is possible.