SOFIA, Sept 28, 2008 (AFP) - Two sailors rescued Sunday have been confirmed as crew members of a Ukranian ship that sank off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast in bad weather, Bulgaria's transport ministry said.

The two sailors were picked up in Turkish waters after their ship, the Tolstoy, sank Saturday morning.

One of the sailors explained that the ship 'split in two' before sinking 'very quickly'.

Rescue teams were specifically alerted Sunday to two survivors of the Ukrainian ship on a raft after one of the men, Andrei Ivanovich Krijanovski, telephoned his mother Saturday night who then alerted Ukrainian authorities.

Both men are said to be in good health.

The Tolstoy had been carrying a cargo of scrap metal to the Turkish port of Nemrut with a team of nine Ukrainian sailors and a Russian captain.

Eight crew members are still missing.