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A naval drone self-detonated inside Romania’s Constanta port Friday morning, triggering a full evacuation and regional emergency alerts as authorities warned more devices could be in the area.
Romania's National Defense Ministry confirmed that the incident occurred at around 10:30 a.m. local time at Dock 78 in Constanta Port.
The drone had been discovered earlier in the morning at approximately 5:50 a.m.
The area was secured and isolated by forces from the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), the Coast Guard and the Defense Ministry, with the object under evaluation and being made safe at the time of the explosion.
The blast was heard across the entire city of Constanta, with residents reporting vibrating windows and doors slamming shut, according to the local reports.
No casualties have been reported.
Romania's Defense Ministry said in a statement: "The naval drone that was discovered this morning, June 5, in the Constanta Civilian Port, near the headquarters of the Romanian Agency for the Rescue of Human Life at Sea, self-detonated at approximately 10:30 a.m. without producing casualties."
"The naval drone is of the type used in the war in Ukraine. We clarify that the object does not belong to the Romanian Army's equipment and was not involved in the recent exercises organized by the Defense Ministry in the Black Sea area," the ministry added.
"The marine drone exploded on its own, but there are no injuries," DSU spokesperson Bogdan Toma told local outlet HotNews.
Deputy Interior Minister Raed Arafat, who's head of Romania's Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), said at a press conference that the suspicion of additional drones in the area was "legitimate" and had prompted a precautionary evacuation of the entire coastline one kilometer inland across both Constanta and Tulcea.
"The explosion occurred at 10:28, in berth 78 of Constanta Port. This morning, around 6:00 a.m., a report was made by Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea (ARSVOM) that there might be a drone in the port. The area was restricted, authorities isolated the zone, and when it became clear the drone could explode, the immediate surrounding area was evacuated," Arafat said.
He said SMURD and Black Hawk helicopters from Tulcea had been mobilized to conduct reconnaissance along the entire coastline.
"There is a suspicion, naturally, that there could be others. That is why we are checking. If there was one, there could be others. The certain information does not exist, the suspicion exists and the suspicion is legitimate," Arafat said.
Arafat acknowledged that ministry-level awareness of the self-detonation risk came only minutes before the blast.
"At least at my level and at the level of the Ministry, I found out there was a risk of explosion a few minutes before it exploded. When I found out it was possible, we immediately began steps, and immediately the drone exploded," he said, crediting the prior evacuation of the immediate area for the absence of casualties.
The White Plan was activated in health care facilities in Constanta, with additional medical personnel called in to the county hospital as a precaution.
Naval Forces spokesperson Alexandru Turturica confirmed to HotNews that the naval drone was located inside Constanta port near ARSVOM, and that the Naval Forces played a support role while SRI and the Department for Emergency Situations led the intervention.
The Constanta explosion comes one week after a drone that crashed on the night of May 28-29 onto a residential building in Galati and exploded.
The total length of Constanta port's quays is 32 kilometers (19.88 miles). Authorities said they would inform the public when the coastal zone is deemed safe for return.
Romanian media reported that the drone exploded several hours after it was initially discovered.
Authorities have not yet provided details on the drone's origin or how it reached the port.
An investigation into the incident is expected to continue.
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