Three crew members were confirmed to have been killed in the attack, officials said, though maritime rescue teams reported a potential death toll of four. Five Filipinos and one Indian were among the survivors plucked from the sea. At least 19 others are still missing as the search continues. At least 21 of the crew members are Filipino nationals, the authorities in the Philippines said. Another member of the Russian crew was badly injured, losing a leg during the attack.
The Houthis took responsibility for the attack and said the vessel had been targeted because it had been sailing toward Israel. They also said some surviving crew members had been moved to a "safe location." The United States condemned the attack and demanded that the captured crew be released.
Second to Sink in a Week Amid Mounting Houthi Attacks
It is the second cargo using the Eternity C that the Houthis have attacked within a week. A second Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated ship, the Magic Seas, was hit Sunday with missiles and drones. The Houthis said the boat belonged to a company that had visited ports in Israeli territory, which they oppose. The Magic Seas' 22 crew were successfully evacuated by another passing merchant ship.
The Houthis have attacked around 70 merchant ships with drones, missiles and small boats in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023. Four ships have been sunk, one seized, and at least seven crew members have been killed in these attacks. The gang claims it acts to aid Palestinians in the Gaza conflict, targeting only ships linked to Israel, the US and the UK.
Video released this week showed Houthi fighters climbing onto a ship and planting explosives to bring it down. Video from a maritime security company showed five crew members being rescued after they had spent more than 24 hours floating in the water. The company announced the recovery efforts would not stop until "the last light."
International Condemnation and Growing Concerns
They have prompted an international response. A European naval operation known as Operation Aspides is already helping with rescue and recovery efforts after the Eternity C. The mission said it had confirmed its participation in an international effort to find and save the crew members who remain missing.
The attacks have been condemned forcefully by the US, which accused the Houthi operations of being a "security threat" to freedom of navigation and global trade. The US has pledged to continue to take action to safeguard freedom of navigation on commercial shipping routes, calling on the international community to condemn the attacks.
Lifted for a brief time, but the country's military said its air force had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen. Claims and counterclaims: Israel's military said its air force had intercepted a missile that had been fired from Yemen, but no additional information was given. Though the Houthis and the US struck a ceasefire deal in May after weeks of heightened strikes, the group said it would continue targeting interests linked to Israel.
It also drew concern from the International Maritime Organisation, whose Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, called for diplomacy to prevent further strikes. The fact that it is innocent seafarers and local communities who suffer most as a consequence of the violence and environmental destruction that these events cause is something he stressed.
