Romanian port authorities on Monday tried to return a capsized ship to rescue thousands of sheep trapped off the country's Black Sea coast.
The Queen Hind, a ship registered in Palau, capsized on its side shortly after it left Romania's port of Medea on its way to Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
The crew, mostly Syrians, were rescued.
"There are hopes that we will be able to save a lot of sheep as they are trapped beneath the ship's back in air pockets," said a Romanian naval officer, who asked not to be named.
"But the process of easing the ship and bringing it back to the buoyancy is very difficult, and it may take several days."
Footage of drones shown by the BBC showed the bodies of dozens of sunken animals near the ship.
Only 50 of the 14,000 sheep on board were rescued, the maritime official said. He added that a number of towing boats and other vessels were involved in the operation.
Agriculture Minister Nichita Adrian Urus said his ministry, the Ministry of Transport and the National Food and Animal Safety Authority would open an investigation into the cause of the capsize.
Romania is the largest EU exporter of sheep to the Middle East.
