Drone strike and fire on ship in Romanian waters raise fears that war in Ukraine is spreading

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian authorities launched search and rescue operations off the Black Sea coast Thursday after a drone struck a ship which then caught fire, the latest in a spate of strikes that has raised fears that Russia’s war in Ukraine is spreading.Five people were rescued after the San Marino-flagged Wine Trader, a chemical tanker traveling from Tunisia to Romania, caught fire in the attack about 13 nautical miles (15 miles) southeast of the port town of Sulina, according to the Romanian Naval Authority. Seven others are still missing.Romanian President Nicusor Dan said in Brussels that the cargo vessel had been struck by a drone, as was another ship in a separate incident the night before. Dan did not state the drones’ origin.“There will be a reaction from the Romanian state,” he said.Similar drone incursions have occurred this month in the exclusive economic zones of Romania and Bulgaria, both NATO and European Union members.According to initial medical assessments