The nine sailors rescued from the water after the sinking of the 'Khoryv' vessel have been brought to the Port of Constanta aboard a rescue vessel and are being attended to by SMURD ambulance crews and border police officers.

The sailors are undergoing medical assessments to determine whether they need to be taken to the County Emergency Clinical Hospital.

President Nicusor Dan said that a vessel had been struck by a drone in the Black Sea on Friday morning, 13 nautical miles offshore, just outside Romania's territorial waters. He described the incident as 'an event in the process of escalation being carried out by Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine.'

The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the commercial vessel had sustained major damage and capsized, with an imminent risk of sinking.

According to the Romanian Naval Authority (ANR), a large-scale search and rescue operation is under way in the Black Sea.

The Maritime Coordination Centre within the Romanian Naval Authority was alerted at around 10:00 on Friday about the 'Khoryv,' which was in distress outside Romania's territorial waters, 13 nautical miles off the coast of Constanta.

The vessel had a crew of 13 on board: 10 Ukrainian nationals and three Azerbaijani nationals.

So far, rescue vessels have recovered nine people alive from the water and one body.

Rescue teams are continuing search operations to locate and rescue the remaining three crew members. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Nona Jalba; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)