Fog, technical issues prevented Azov Sea cargo ship crew from reaching rescuers

GENICHESK, April 6. /TASS/. Heavy fog and technical problems with a lifeboat prevented crew members of a cargo ship attacked by a drone in the Sea of Azov from reaching rescuers in time, one of the rescued crew members told reporters. "There was bad weather, there was fog, and the rescue operation, as far as I know, began the same day, but because of the fog they could not see us at all, and we had technical problems that arose during the operation of the motorboat," he said. The man also said he did not understand why Ukrainian forces had attacked the cargo ship, since it was a civilian vessel carrying only wheat. On Sunday, Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo said that a Volgo-Balt type vessel had sunk in the Sea of Azov. Eight people managed to reach the shore of the Kherson Region in a lifeboat capsule, also bringing the body of the chief mate. The regional head later noted that the vessel had been attacked by a Ukrainian drone. As emergency services told TASS on Monday, the cargo ship was located and towed to the Krasnodar Region, where two charred bodies were found on board.