Romanian Danube village evacuated after tanker fire caused by overnight Russian strike on Ukraine's south

An evacuation has been announced in the Romanian village of Plauru, located on the Danube opposite the Ukrainian city of Izmail, due to a fire on an LNG tanker that ignited following a Russian strike on the night of 16-17 November.

As reported by 24-hour Romanian TV news channel Digi24, Romania's emergency services announced that there is a high risk of an explosion within a 5-km radius around Plauru, and the area must be evacuated without delay.

"An LNG tanker near Izmail caught fire as a result of the drone attack carried out on Ukrainian territory last night," the announcement stated.

The mayor of Cataloi, a settlement west of Plauru on the Danube, said that 15 people along with their pets were being evacuated. Some were sent to the city of Tulcea, while others are temporarily staying in the village council building.

Horia Teodorescu, the head of Tulcea County Council, told the media that the burning tanker is just 500 m from Plauru, on the Ukrainian side. In total, more than 100 people may need to be evacuated.

Earlier, Romania's Ministry of Defence reported that no violations of Romanian airspace were detected during the Russian overnight attack on Ukrainian ports and energy infrastructure in Odesa Oblast.

Last week, Romania summoned the Russian ambassador after yet another Russian drone fell on its territory.

Due to the proximity of Romanian border villages to Ukraine, air-raid warnings are issued there during Russian strikes on southern Odesa Oblast, and at times Romania scrambles its aircraft.