Rescuers are trying hard to save a cargo ship which was capsized in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania with around 14,600 sheep.
The Queen Hind cargo ship worked as a domesticated animals bearer in 1980, dispatched on Nov. 24, not long after leaving at about 12:00 p.m. from the Romanian port of Midia which borders Bulgaria.
The reason for the sinking of the ship is still unclear.
Including 20 Syrians and one Lebanese national, all the AFP crew members have been rescued, said Ana-Maria Stoica, a spokeswoman for the emergency services in Constanța. But many are believed to have drowned.
“The rescue operation is ongoing … We hope that the sheep inside the ship’s hold are still alive,” she said.
Calling the incident a disaster, the Acebop president, Mary Pana said, “If we cannot protect livestock during long-distance transports, we should outright ban them.”
However, the authority will run the investigation after rescue efforts cease.
“An investigation must be opened without delay,” said Gabriel Paun of NGO Animals International.
> Puza Sarker Snigdha
