A Russian cargo ship, Ursa Major, has sunk in the Mediterranean between Spain and Algeria after an explosion in the engine room.
According to Russia's foreign ministry, 14 members of the crew had been rescued and taken to the Spanish port of Cartagena but that two others were missing.
Ursa Major left port in St Petersburg 12 days ago.
The ship's owner said it was on its way to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East carrying two cranes for the port weighing 380 tonnes apiece, although the destination could not be confirmed independently, BBC reported.
Before Ursa Major sank, Spain's Salvamento Marítimo maritime rescue agency said 14 people were found on a lifeboat and taken safely to Spain and a Russian warship then arrived in the area to take charge of the rescue operation.
Ursa Major was in the same area of the Med as another sanctioned Russian ship, Sparta, when it ran into trouble and the two ships had been spotted heading through the English Channel last week, reportedly under escort.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported that the Sparta was heading to Russia's naval base on the Syrian coast at Tartous to move military equipment out of Syria after the downfall of Bashar al-Assad.
Ursa Major's owner Oboronlogistika has been heavily involved in transporting cargo to Tartous, although Sparta's reported destination on Tuesday was Port Said in Egypt.
bd-pratidin/GR
