Captain killed in attack on ship in Black Sea — Azerbaijan’s MFA

BAKU, October 6. /TASS/. An Azerbaijani citizen was killed and another went missing following a drone attack on the Royad Mammadov cargo vessel in the Black Sea off Romania’s coast on October 5, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"A drone attacked a foreign cargo vessel, the Royad Mammadov, off Romania’s coast in the Black Sea on October 5. According to the information received, the ship’s captain, Rustam Gasanov, an Azerbaijani national born in 1974, was killed in the attack. Another Azerbaijani citizen, Muhammed Suleimanzade, born in 2002, went missing. A search and rescue operation is underway," the statement reads.

The ministry added that other Azerbaijani crew members had been rescued, with three of them taken to the hospital.

"Following the incident, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry is involved in coordination work with the country’s diplomatic missions and government agencies in the relevant countries. The necessary measures are being taken to provide the Azerbaijani citizens with medical and consular assistance, as well as to carry out required body repatriation procedures," the statement added.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry once again warned the country's people against travelling to combat zones and areas with insatiable security situations, working there, and using transport vehicles, especially ships that pursue dangerous routes.