A maritime drone similar to those used in the war in Ukraine exploded in Romania’s Port of Constan\u021ba on Friday morning, June 5, after being discovered near a maritime rescue facility. The authorities said the drone self-detonated after the area had been secured and evacuated, with no injuries reported.<\/p>\n
According to Biziday.ro<\/a>, the explosion was captured by cameras aboard one of the vessels located near the port.<\/p>\n\n The Ministry of Defense<\/strong> said<\/a> the unmanned surface vessel was found in the civilian section of Constan\u021ba Port, near the headquarters of the Romanian Agency for Saving Human Lives at Sea (ARSVOM). The drone exploded at around 10:30 a.m. while specialists from the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), the Coast Guard, and the Ministry of Defense were assessing and securing the device.<\/p>\n \u201cThe maritime drone is of a type used in the war in Ukraine,” the ministry said, adding that the vessel does not belong to the Romanian Armed Forces and was not involved in any recent military exercises conducted in the Black Sea area.<\/p>\n\n Raed Arafat,<\/strong> head of Romania’s Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), said the drone was first reported at around 6 a.m. by ARSVOM. Authorities immediately restricted access to the area and later evacuated the zone after determining that the device could explode.<\/p>\n Following the blast, the Red Intervention Plan was activated as a precaution, Euronews Romania<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n Arafat said two helicopters were deployed to search the coastline and nearby maritime areas due to concerns that additional drones could be present. A SMURD rescue helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter from Tulcea were tasked with reconnaissance missions along the coast.<\/p>\n The authorities also issued RO-Alert messages in Constan\u021ba and Tulcea counties, advising residents to avoid coastal areas within 1 km of the shoreline until the risk assessment is completed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe drone self-detonated. [\u2026] If there are other drones, we want to avoid another explosion in an area where people are present. That is why we are carrying out a preventive evacuation,” Arafat said.<\/p>\n By the time of publication, media reports indicated that additional drones had been discovered in the area. Digi24<\/a>, for example, said that\u00a0four more drones were reportedly discovered near the shoreline.<\/p>\n The Ministry of Defense said the situation remains dynamic and that further information will be released as it becomes available.<\/p>\n