A reporter was seen fleeing during a live TV report from Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta after one of the drones suddenly exploded nearby.

More than 1,300 people were evacuated from several Black Sea beaches after the port explosion, with routes leading to them also temporarily blocked.

The drone exploded near an oil terminal, without causing injuries.

Just before 3pm local time, emergency authorities said they had suspended evacuation measures.

More than 1,300 people were evacuated after the blast(Image: undefined/OBSERVATOR ANTENA 1 vi)

Ukraine's navy said the naval drone that exploded near the port of Constanta was pushed off course by Russian electronic warfare.

"While carrying out tasks in the Black Sea operational zone, one of the Ukrainian Navy's unmanned surface vessels lost control as a result of enemy electronic warfare and ended up near the coast of Romania," the navy said.

It added that all the necessary information was passed to Romania's navy "to prevent civilian casualties."

Romanian Defence Minister Radu Miruta has accused Ukrainian authorities of failing to inform Romania in time.

He said Romanian authorities first identified the drone at the Constanta port at around 6am local time, adding that confirmation that Ukrainian authorities had lost control of four drones came only at around 10am.

Romanian authorities have confirmed that four naval drones exploded in Romanian waters today, including one at the port of Constanta.

After the vessel was identified at the port, Romania's Defence Ministry contacted its Ukrainian counterparts, who confirmed they had lost control of four naval drones.

In addition to the drone at the port, three other drones also self-detonated - two in open waters and one outside the port area.

Today's drone explosion comes after Romanian forces destroyed another naval drone in the Black Sea on Wednesday.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, the Romanian Defence Ministry said its navy has neutralised nine of the 156 sea mines in the Black Sea basin.

European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas has said the "drone explosion in the port of Constanta shows that Russia’s war is increasingly spilling over into EU territory".

"The ultimate responsibility for what happened rests squarely with Russia. As President Zelenskyy told Putin in an open letter yesterday: Moscow can stop this war any day," she wrote in a statement on X.

Romania's General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISGU) has reported the following evacuation figures, according to TV channel Digi24:

• 300 people evacuated from Costinesti beach
• 50 people evacuated from Tuzla beach
• 355 people evacuated from the beaches at Eforie Nord and Eforie Sud
• 400 people evacuated from the Mangalia coastal area, including the resorts of Saturn, Venus and Cap Aurora
• 100 people evacuated from Sulina beach

ISGU said a further 50 people have been evacuated from Sfantu Gheorghe beach and 50 from the Gura Portitei area, although evacuation efforts in these areas are ongoing.

The authority said access routes to the beaches have been blocked by local police and that the evacuations are being carried out as a precaution.

Russia’s embassy in Romania has accused Ukraine of being responsible for the drone explosion at Constanta port.

Romanian media report that the drone is believed to have been a Magura-type Ukrainian drone that went astray while targeting Russia. Kyiv has yet to issue a statement.

Romania's president and European officials have condemned the incident as a consequence of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the drone explosion at Romania's Constanta port is "a direct consequence of Russia's war against Ukraine".

"It is increasingly becoming a direct threat to countries on our Eastern border," she wrote in a statement on X.

European Council President Antonio Costa echoed the sentiment, writing in a post on X: "These incidents are a direct consequence of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine."

Romanian President Nicușor Dan has released a lengthy statement on X about the explosion at Constanta port, which he said he was informed of while travelling to Montenegro.

"The priority has been and remains the protection of human life and the security of the port infrastructure," he said in Romanian.

"Such particularly serious situations are the direct consequences of the war of aggression unleashed by Russia against Ukraine.

"As a NATO member state with access to the Black Sea, we will continue to cooperate closely with our allies and will take all necessary measures to protect citizens and national interests."

Raed Arafat, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, told a news conference that helicopters have been deployed to search for additional drones and that authorities issued text message alerts to residents.

"There is a possibility that there may be other drones," he said. "We are not panicking. These are preventive measures. If there are other drones, we want to make sure there is not another explosion in an area where people are not evacuated."

The naval drone exploded in Romania's Black ‌Sea port of Constanta, near an oil terminal.

Romania, a NATO and European Union member, shares a 400-mile border with ⁠Ukraine.

Our Defence Editor Chris Hughes has said he believes the sea drone explosion may have been the result of a Ukrainian error.

He said Romanian media are reporting that it is a Magura V5 drone - a highly advanced Ukrainian unmanned surface vessel (USV) typically deployed in large numbers.

Authorities sent an "Extreme Alert" text message to people in Constanta and the neighbouring county of Tulcea shortly after the explosion.

The English-language warning reads: "Evacuate the area within a 1 km radius of the Constanta Port. Take shelter in basements or in civil protection shelters. If there is no shelter around you, stay inside the house and keep away from windows and outside facing walls."

Alerts were sent to people in Constanta and Tulcea

The Romanian Defence Ministry said: "The area had already been secured and cordoned off by forces from the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Coast Guard, and the Ministry of National Defence; at that time, the object was undergoing assessment and being secured."

It also confirmed the drone was not part of the Romanian Army’s inventory and that the army had not recently carried out any military exercises in the Black Sea area.

The Romanian Defence Ministry has confirmed that a naval drone self-detonated and said the device was thought to be "of the type used in the war in Ukraine".

The ministry did not specify the drone's origin.

Since Moscow began attacking Ukrainian ports on the Danube, the Romanian Defence Ministry has reported 28 incursions by Russian drones into its airspace.

The explosion comes after a Russian drone targeting Ukraine struck an apartment building in eastern Romania on May 29, injuring two people in the NATO member country.

The drone crashed onto the roof of a building in the Danube port city of Galati and sparked a fire, the Romanian defence ministry said in a statement. The two injuries were minor and the building was evacuated.

The incident added to concerns that the Russa's war in Ukraine could spill across NATO's borders.

A Russian drone previously struck an apartment building in Galati(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

A sea drone was discovered at around 5.50am EEST (3.30am BST) near the headquarters of the Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea, in the north pier area of the Constanta port, according to Romanian outlet Stiripesurse.

The agency is reported to have alerted authorities, who immediately put security measures in place and launched an investigation.

The drone self-detonated at around 10.30am EEST (8.30am UK time) in dock 78 of the port, said Bogdan Toma, spokesman for Romania's Department for Emergency Situations.

A powerful explosion occurred in Constanta(Image: Facebook)

A sea drone has reportedly exploded in the port of Constanta - Romania's largest port, which is located on the Black Sea coast.

The blast happened at around 10.30am EEST (8.30am UK time), local media report.

Police, border guards, paramedics and firefighters are among the emergency services at the scene. A Black Hawk helicopter has also been deployed to provide support, according to Romania's Department for Emergency Situations (DSU).

The surrounding area has been cordoned off and people have been evacuated.

There are no reports of injuries, according to DSU spokesman Bogdan Toma.