Cargo Ship Sinks In Bulgarian Black Sea Waters

Sofia, Bulgaria (AHN) - A cargo ship sunk in the Black Sea, off 10 to 15 miles east of the Bulgarian cape Emine, with all the crew members still missing, the Bulgarian transportation ministry said.

The Bulgarian authorities have said that the 5,000 ton "Tolstoy" was carrying scrap metal and 13 crew members.

The officials said the rescuers are searching for survivors with the help of the Bulgarian air force helicopters along with military and commercial ships.

Nikolai Apostolov, head of the Bulgarian maritime office, told reporters that they have not received any distress call from the vessel sailing under North Korean flag.

Instead, the Bulgarian authorities said they were alerted by a Russian satellite center after it disappeared from radars at 4 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on Saturday.

The reports said the 138-meter-long cargo vessel, which was reportedly in service for 37 years, departed from the southern Russian port city of Rostov-on-Don on Sept. 21 and was heading to Nemrut in Turkey.