A drone strike on two foreign cargo vessels in the Sea of Azov has left five Azerbaijani citizens dead and three others wounded, authorities in Baku have confirmed on Friday.
Five Azerbaijani nationals have died and a further three have been injured as a result of a drone attack on two foreign cargo ships in the Sea of Azov, the spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry, Ayhan Hajizadeh, has said in a statement.
Hajizadeh confirmed that a total of 25 Azerbaijani citizens had been on board the two vessels. He added that neither ship was owned by Azerbaijan.
“According to information received from the Russian side, the attack killed five Azerbaijani citizens and wounded three others. The injured have been hospitalised in the city hospital of Yeysk in Russia’s Krasnodar region,” Hajizadeh said.
The foreign ministry spokesperson said that Azerbaijani state bodies and diplomatic missions were currently coordinating with the competent authorities of several states on the matter.
“Several staff members from our embassy in Russia have been dispatched to the scene. The situation concerning our citizens, their repatriation and the provision of necessary consular support are being given particular attention,” he noted.
The ministry expressed its deep condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Drone strikes had been carried out in the early hours of June 5 on the foreign cargo ships Natra and Zirkon in the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of Azov, and that Azerbaijani citizens were believed to be among those on board.
