A cargo ship has sunk off the coast of Ukraine after an enormous explosion, leaving four crew members missing.
The Estonian-owned cargo ship Helt sunk off the Ukrainian port of Odessa after an explosion, the vessel's manager said.
Two crew members were in a life raft at sea while four others were unaccounted for, Igor Ilves, managing director of Tallinn-based manager Vista Shipping Agency, said.
The ship, which weighed more than 1,500 tonnes, was flying under the Panamanian flag when the disaster happened.
Mr Ilves revealed it is feared the 79 metre-long vessel struck a mine off the coast.
He said: "Two of the crew are in a raft on the water and four others are missing. I don't know where they are at the moment."
"The vessel has finally sunk."
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Earlier, the Ukrainian armed forces revealed the Russian Navy forced the Helt to enter a dangerous zone of the Black Sea to cover the movement of its own warships.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet was previously accused of using civilian vessels as shields in the invasion of Ukraine.
A spokesman said: 'For the safety of civil navigation, the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine closed navigation in the north-western part of the Black Sea.
'At the same time, the Russian Black Sea Fleet continues the tactics of Russian ground forces trying to hide behind civilian lives.'
Estonia is a member of Nato, leading to concerns the explosion could spark further conflict in eastern Europe.
Boris Johnson yesterday gave a speech in the country, where he praised "the valour and bravery" of the Ukrainian people, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The incident came a day after a missile or bomb hit a Bangladeshi-owned cargo ship in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Olvia, killing one of its crew members.
Pijush Dutta, executive director of Bangladesh Shipping Corp, said: "The ship came under attack and one engineer was killed.
"It was not clear whether it was a bomb or missile or which side launched the attack. The other 28 crewmen are unharmed."
The Bangladesh-flagged Banglar Samriddhi had been stuck in the port of Olvia since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.
Efforts were underway to rescue the others from the vessel, its owner said today.
