A man was killed by a sea mine explosion 50 meters from shore in the Zatoka resort area of the Odesa region on Sunday.
Zatoka is a coastal resort town approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of the city of Odesa in southern Ukraine.
Local outlet Dumska, citing eyewitness accounts, said the incident took place at around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, between the villages of Zatoka and Karolino-Bugaz to the north of Zatoka.
“It is currently known that the mine exploded in the sea, approximately 50 meters from the shore. At that time, a man was in the water and did not survive,” Dumska wrote.
The age and name of the man have not been specified, but Dumska wrote that law enforcement has arrived on the scene to investigate the incident.
Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne, citing police reports, later reported that three – one woman and two men in total – were killed on Sunday morning in two explosions, one of which is presumably the one reported by Dumska.
“It has been previously determined that three vacationers – a woman and two men – died while swimming as a result of two explosions of unknown objects. The identities of the deceased are being established,” the report states.
Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, said an explosion in Karolino-Buhaz killed one man, while another in Zatoka claimed the lives of a man and a woman, all in areas where swimming is prohibited.
The military commented on the incident and cautioned locals to adhere to the restrictions and swim only on permitted beaches.
“Another tragedy has occurred in the Odessa region: Citizens ignored the established safety rules and swam in a prohibited recreation area, as a result of which they blew themselves up on explosive objects. This incident is another confirmation of the extreme threat of staying in unchecked waters,” Dumska wrote, in a message forwarded from an official channel.
Authorities noted that, aside from the 30 beaches within Odesa city, only two public beaches are open for swimming: the central city beach in Chornomorsk and the village of Primorske.
“As of July 2025, there are 32 officially functioning zones in the region suitable for safe swimming… All of these zones have undergone a comprehensive inspection, in particular, the presence of shelters, the absence of mine danger both on land and in the water,” the update says.
Zatoka, despite the tourist traffic, does not have permission to open its beaches.