MFA: Vessel carrying Azerbaijani citizens hit by drone near Odessa

A civilian merchant vessel, Atlas Bey, owned by Türkiyechr("39")s Okean Maritime company, was struck by a drone near the coast of Odessa at around 15:15 local time (GMT+3), Azerbaijanchr("39")s Foreign Ministry told Olaylar.

"There were 11 Azerbaijani citizens among the crew members. Except for the shipchr("39")s captain, who is also an Azerbaijani national, the rest of the crew have been brought ashore in Odessa. Their condition is assessed as satisfactory," the ministry said in a statement.

Search operations are ongoing to locate the captain. Azerbaijanchr("39")s Embassy in Ukraine is maintaining close contact with relevant authorities and is taking necessary steps to provide consular support to Azerbaijani citizens.