KYIV: A Russian missile on Thursday morning hit an Egypt-bound cargo ship in the Black Sea carrying wheat, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Black Sea is a crucial trading route for Ukraine, one of the world’s largest agricultural producers and exporters, but was turned into a naval battleground when Russia invaded Ukraine.
“Russian missile against a wheat cargo bound for Egypt ... Russia launched a strike on an ordinary civilian vessel in the Black Sea right after it left Ukrainian territorial waters,” Zelensky said in a post on social media.
There were no casualties from the attack, Zelensky added, urging global condemnation after the strike.
“Domestic stability and normal life in dozens of countries around the world are dependent on the normal and unhindered operation of our food expert corridor,” he said.
Moscow last year pulled out of a UN-brokered deal guaranteeing safe passage for Ukraine’s agricultural exports on the Black Sea, but Kyiv has carved out a maritime corridor allowing trade to continue.
Over 5,000 ships have sailed through the grain corridor since it was created, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Wednesday.
Global food prices shot up when Russia invaded Ukraine amid fears conflict in the Black Sea would hobble global food supplies.
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Russian missile hit an Egypt-bound wheat cargo ship in Black Sea: Zelensky
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Russian missile hit an Egypt-bound wheat cargo ship in Black Sea: Zelensky
- “Russia launched a strike on an ordinary civilian vessel in the Black Sea right after it left Ukrainian territorial waters,” Zelensky said
- There were no casualties from the attack, Zelensky added, urging global condemnation after the strike
Fire burning in southwestern Japan damages 170 homes and forces evacuations
TOKYO: Firefighters and army helicopters were battling a fire Wednesday that has burned through a neighborhood in southwestern Japan and forced more than 170 people to evacuate.
At least 170 homes have been damaged or burned down and a man in his 70s was unaccounted for, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.
The fire started during strong winds Tuesday evening near a fishing port in the city of Oita and spread to a forest. Oita is on the southern main island of Kyushu.
Japanese television footage by midday showed smoke still rising from swaths of land filled with burned-down and damaged houses, though orange flames were no longer visible.
One resident told Kyodo News Agency she quickly fled without many of her belongings because the fire “spread in the blink of an eye.”
Dozens of fire engines and more than 200 firefighters were mobilized to battle the fire, which still was not fully under control nearly 20 hours after it started.
The Ground Self-Defense Force dispatched two UH1 army helicopters to join the firefighting effort.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in a statement she posted on X, offered her sympathy for those affected by the fire and pledged to “provide maximum support” for them.
At least 170 homes have been damaged or burned down and a man in his 70s was unaccounted for, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.
The fire started during strong winds Tuesday evening near a fishing port in the city of Oita and spread to a forest. Oita is on the southern main island of Kyushu.
Japanese television footage by midday showed smoke still rising from swaths of land filled with burned-down and damaged houses, though orange flames were no longer visible.
One resident told Kyodo News Agency she quickly fled without many of her belongings because the fire “spread in the blink of an eye.”
Dozens of fire engines and more than 200 firefighters were mobilized to battle the fire, which still was not fully under control nearly 20 hours after it started.
The Ground Self-Defense Force dispatched two UH1 army helicopters to join the firefighting effort.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in a statement she posted on X, offered her sympathy for those affected by the fire and pledged to “provide maximum support” for them.
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