Romania: one dead and three missing from Khoryv off Constanta
The Border Police confirm nine survivors have reached shore. The president blames Russia, but operational statements do not identify the cause of the fire.
One person was recovered dead, nine were rescued and three are missing following an incident on a commercial vessel about 13 nautical miles east of Constanta on 23 October 2026. Romania’s Border Police confirmed the figures and subsequently announced that the nine survivors had reached shore safely for medical assessment.
The accessible Athens-Macedonian News Agency report published by ERTnews identifies the ship as Khoryv.
The rescue operation
According to the Border Police, Constanta’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre informed the authorities at about 10:00 local time, the same as in Greece, of a fire aboard a Comoros-flagged merchant vessel outside territorial waters. The ship sustained major damage and capsized, with an imminent risk of sinking.
Of the 13 people aboard, ten were initially recovered by another merchant ship: nine alive and one dead. The nine survivors were then transferred to a Coast Guard vessel. The Coast Guard and Romania’s maritime rescue agency ARSVOM are searching for the three missing people.
A helicopter was placed on pre-alert, but weather conditions did not permit an aerial intervention at the time of the initial official statement.
The allegation and the unresolved cause
The AMNA report carried by ERTnews says Romanian President Nicusor Dan blamed Russia for the incident. This is an attributed public allegation. The two Border Police operational statements checked describe the fire and rescue, without identifying what caused the blaze.
These statements do not provide an independent technical finding on the cause or responsibility. Today’s incident concerns Khoryv and is separate from the Wine Trader incident of 15 October.
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