I know that the preposition "a" is used after Spanish transitive verbs when the direct object is a person. Example:
- El chico mató mis flores.
- El chico mató a mi hermano.
However, I have recently seen the verbs "hundir" and "sumir" used transitively with the preposition "a" when the direct object is a thing (specifically, a company and a country). Examples:
- El torpedo hundió el barco. (OK)
- El crac del mercado de valores hundió a la compañía.
- Las decisiones del presidente acabaron sumiendo al país en un caos
Why is the preposition "a" used in these sentences?