“Seven Bulgarians are still missing after the fire which broke out on a ferry off Corfu,” Deputy Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova stated at a briefing.

In her words, another 2 out of the 12 people missing are also thought to be Bulgarian. Two of our compatriots have been hospitalized in Corfu, one has been intubated, the other is in stable condition.

“The rescue operation continues. We are in contact with the company which owns the vessel. The company declared that the people rescued will be transported,” Radostin Vankin, Consul General of Bulgaria in Thessaloniki on his part said.

At the briefing Deputy Minister Petrova also commented the Russia-Ukraine dispute:

“Tension is escalating, our position is clear – we support the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine.” A visit by Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska to the country is forthcoming, Velislava Petrova announced.