Search for survivors after Houthis sink second Red Sea cargo ship in a week

At least three of the 25 people on board the Eternity C were killed after it was attacked by the Iran-backed group.

Ten people have been rescued from the Red Sea after their ship sank near Yemen following an attack by the Houthis, according to the European Union’s maritime security mission, with several others believed to be being held by the rebel group.

The Houthis said they had taken some of those on board to an undisclosed location following the attack on the Eternity C, the second time they have targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea this week. Maritime security sources told Reuters that the Yemeni militia was believed to be holding six crew members.

Three of the 25 people on board were killed in the attack, the EU’s Operation Aspides told CNN.

The ship’s crew consisted of 22 members – 21 Filipinos and one Russian – while a three-person security team was also on board, according to the EU mission, which coordinates rescue operations in the Red Sea.

The mission said that of the ten people recovered from the water on Wednesday and overnight into Thursday, eight were Filipino crew members, while the other two were security personnel, of Greek and Indian nationality.

The Eternity C, a commercial bulk carrier flying Liberian flag and operated by a Greek firm, was attacked for days by the Houthis with multiple rocket-propelled grenades from small craft, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO). The ship sank Wednesday morning, UKMTO said.

The Houthis, an Iran-backed group which controls large parts of Yemen, claimed responsibility in a statement Wednesday, saying they targeted the Eternity C with “an unmanned boat and six cruise and ballistic missiles” as it allegedly headed toward the Israeli port of Eilat. They asserted the ship was “completely sunk” and that their forces had rescued some crew members, providing medical care before taking them to an undisclosed location.

The US mission to Yemen accused the Houthis of kidnapping the crew members and called for their immediate release.

A video released by the Houthis shows a ship heavily damaged and sinking after a rocket attack. The footage includes prior radio communications in which the Houthis assured the ship’s crew of their safety.

The loss of the ship marks the second sinking by the Houthis this week, following an attack on the cargo vessel Magic Seas on Sunday which caused its crew to abandon ship. The Yemeni group has repeatedly targeted ships it claims have Israeli links, vowing to continue until Israel ends its military campaign in Gaza.