Drifting sea mine explodes off Georgia’s Black Sea coast near Batumi

A drifting sea mine exploded 25 meters away from the beach in Batumi, a coastal city in the Republic of Georgia. Georgia’s Interior Ministry has confirmed the explosion. A local TV channel reports that no one was injured by the blast.

An eyewitness video published by the Telegram channel Baza shows the mine being tossed ashore by the surf and exploding.

The Georgian authorities say that sappers, the fire brigade, and the police are working on site.

Russia and Ukraine have each accused the other of placing mines that later get dislodged by the storms in the Black Sea. Several incidents of this kind have already occurred in Turkey.