July 26 (Reuters) – An international cargo vessel sank off the coast of Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Sunday, a week after Ukrainian officials said it had been struck by Russian forces.
Ukraine’s ports authority said the Golden Leo, sailing under a Guinea-Bissau flag, had sunk near the port. A statement said nine crew members had been killed in the attack while eight were evacuated to safety.
The statement said the ship, which left the port of Chornomorsk with a cargo of corn, suffered considerable damage when it was shelled by Russian forces on July 19.
It had been passing through a corridor overseen by Ukraine along the coast towards Romania.
The ports authority said Russian action against the ship “violated the norms of international maritime law” and endangered the lives of crew.
A Reuters witness in Odesa at the time saw smoke billowing from a large vessel off the coast. Moscow has not publicly commented on the strike.
Russia has stepped up attacks in recent weeks on deepwater ports in southern Ukraine that handle much of the country’s grain and other critical cargo, in the fifth year of war.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Chris Reese)
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