The death toll from a Russian strike on a civilian merchant vessel near Odesa has risen to 10. Among those killed was a pilot from the Delta-Pilot branch of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority.
The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority reported the updated figures.
The Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel was leaving a Ukrainian port after being loaded with corn. There were 17 crew members aboard — citizens of Syria and India — as well as a Ukrainian pilot.
The search-and-rescue operation continued throughout the night. The fire aboard the vessel was brought under control.
Eight crew members were rescued and brought ashore. Ten people, including the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority pilot, were killed.
The Ukrainian Navy previously reported that Russian forces attacked the GOLDEN LEO bulk carrier with three Kh-59/Kh-69 cruise missiles. The strike hit the starboard side of the superstructure, causing a fire aboard the ship.
The Navy initially reported five deaths and five crew members whose fate remained unknown. Ukraine’s Minister for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport, Mykola Kalashnyk, later said the death toll had risen to six, while four people were listed as missing.
Ukrainian Navy units and the Maritime Search and Rescue Service were involved in the rescue operation. Two of the eight rescued crew members were injured and taken to a hospital in Odesa.
The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority described the attack as deliberate terror targeting civilian shipping, port infrastructure, international trade and freedom of navigation.
The authority expressed condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed.
