A naval mine has been detected in the Black Sea off the coast of northern Turkey, near the border with Bulgaria, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced on Monday.
A team of sappers from the Underwater Defense (SAS) has been deployed to the area not far from the port town of Igneada to deactivate the device, the ministry said on Twitter.
Turkey had already neutralized a stray mine near the Bosphorus strait on Saturday. It was described as an “old type,” which had been used by the Soviet military during World War II.
The discovery led to a brief halt in traffic along the Bosphorus, a key transport artery connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The Turkish authorities have also banned night-time fishing in the Black Sea. Media reports at the weekend claimed that a second mine had been found and destroyed in the area.