Two Bulgarian sailors who fell in the Norwegian Sea have not been found yet

The two Bulgarian sailors, who were swept away yesterday, January 2, by a large wave from the deck of Stara Planina ship in the Norwegian Sea, have not yet been discovered. The vessel was to remain in the area until noon today, after which it would continue its course to the Romanian port of Constanta.

Currently, the weather in the Norwegian Sea remains severe - the waves are over 9 metres high and the wind speed is up to 25 metres per second. The search for the Bulgarian sailors is difficult at this time of the year because the day is very short and the night is polar. The rescue operation has already been terminated.

According to experts, in such severe weather conditions sailors should not go on the deck without the permission of the ship captain and notify the duty officers.

After a 7-hour helicopter search, the Norwegian Rescue Coordination Centre terminated the search operation for the two Bulgarian sailors. From now on, the Norwegian police take over the case.

Vera Shatilova-Mitsarova, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Norway: Very strong wind, high waves, 8-9 metres, cold water. Experts from the rescue centre say that a human body without a vest, without a special suit cannot last more than 1 hour in such conditions. However, the rescue operations lasted for more than 7 hours. Two helicopters were also included yesterday.

The crew of the cargo ship "Stara Planina" consists of 19 people - 18 Bulgarians and one Ukrainian citizen.

Stara Planina ship sails under Maltese flag. If the sailors who fell in the sea are not found, they wil be declared missing under maritime law. The Special Investigation Unit of the Ministry of Transport is investigating the case to identify the cause of the incident.