Romania’s Department for Emergency Situations said in a statement on social media the blaze was the result of a “drone attack carried out on the territory of Ukraine” on Sunday night, which caused “a ship loaded with LPG” to be “engulfed in flames in the area of Izmail,” a Ukrainian port city in the southwest of the country bordering Romania.
The department added it had ordered the evacuation of the entire commune of Ceatalchioi, which is home to about 250 people, and would send vehicles and ambulances.
The ship, the Turkish-flagged ORINDA, is capable of carrying about 1.8 million gallons of liquefied petroleum gas. Its crew were also evacuated after the blaze broke out, with video showing plumes of fire and smoke billowing from the vessel.
Moscow has frequently targeted Ukrainian port facilities situated on the Danube throughout its full-scale invasion, with drone parts found on Romania’s side of the river on several occasions.
“After a Russian attack damaged a vessel with LNG in the Odesa region, Romania had to evacuate its border village,” said Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. “Russia’s brutal escalation of terror threatens not only Ukraine but also our neighbors. This underscores the urgency of collective pressure on Moscow to end the war.”
A spokesperson for NATO declined to comment on the Russian attack.
Victor Jack contributed to this report.
