KIEV, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Two sailors were injured after a grain ship hit a mine in the Black Sea near the Ukrainian coast, Ukraine's southern defense forces said Thursday in a post on Telegram.
The Panama-flagged vessel was sailing to one of the Ukrainian Danube River ports to be loaded with grain when it hit the sea mine.
The ship lost control as a result of the incident and a fire erupted on its upper deck.
Ukraine's Maritime Guard and Search and Rescue Service assisted in the rescue efforts on the ship and brought the vessel to the port.
One of the injured sailors was hospitalized, while another received medical treatment on the spot.
Mines and other explosives have been drifting in the Black Sea since February 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. ■
