The Bulgarian yacht Yosif and Anna has been wrecked, two of its crew of four are missing, the other two are safe.
There is no evidence that the two Bulgarians who went unaccounted for off the Algerian coast died. A search and rescue operation still is under way, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lyubomir Todorov said.
The two rescued Bulgarians are in hospital in stable condition. They may be discharged in the coming hours to go to the Bulgarian Embassy, and from there to return to Bulgaria on Monday or Tuesday, Todorov said.
Quoting Agence France-Presse, BTA reported that the yacht capsized in a squall on the morning of November 8 in Annaba, 600 miles east of Algeria in the Mediterranean.
Two crew members, Roussi Rachev (25) from the Black Sea city of Bourgas and Alexander Velikov (29) from Sofia, managed to swim to the shore.
The two missing yachtsmen are from the Black Sea city of Varna, the yacht's owner Dimiter Dimitrov (52), and Ognyan Balevski (43), chairman of Varna Yacht Club.
The club's deputy chairman Ivan Ivanov learned the news from journalists. He talked with the two a few days ago, while they were in Tunisia, waiting to sail off to Gibraltar.
This is the first time the Yosif and Anna has sailed outside the Black Sea. Its seaworthiness must have been impaired because the owner made a partition on the vessel to take tourists on trips, according to Luchezar Bratoev, whose company
manages the marina in the Golden Sands resort. The yacht has long been used for such trips along the coast.
The Yosif and Anna sailed off from Varna with the Sunny Queen on October 12. They stopped over in Tunisia and then left for Palma de Mallorca, where they were to meet with yachtsmen from Europe. They were to voyage to Florida.
The Sunny Queen, with Svetlyo Dimitrov as skipper, was not wrecked.
There is no proof that the two missing Bulgarians died,although the Algerian newspapers claim this is the case, Todorov said. Contact with the Sunny Queen was interrupted by the squall, only to be re-established on Saturday. It is on its way
to Almeria, Spain, where it is due to arrive on Monday or Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.