Civilian ship under flag of Dominican Republic shelled by Russian troops and sinking

A civilian ship is sinking in the port of the besieged city of Mariupol after Russian forces fired on it, Report informs referring to The Washington Post.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said in a statement on April 5 that the ship was struck during “shelling from the sea” by Russia, causing a fire in the engine room. The crew was rescued, including one injured crew member, it added.

The ministry said the ship was flying the flag of the Dominican Republic and posted a picture of a cargo vessel. It didn’t specify how many people were on board or the nationalities of the crew members.

Russian forces have been bombarding Mariupol for weeks as they try to tighten control over Ukraine’s southeastern coastline.