CNN
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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 onboard 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.
Four of the 25 people onboard were killed in the attack, maritime officials said, according to Reuters.
Four people were recovered from the water overnight, including three Filipino crew members and one Greek maritime security personnel member, the EU’s Operation Aspides said Thursday on X. Six others were rescued Wednesday, according to the mission, which coordinates rescue operations in the Red Sea.
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.
The rebels said in a statement: “We will continue our military operations in support of the oppressed Palestinian people… until the aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.”
In May, the group agreed to halt attacks on US warships in the Red Sea after more than a month of airstrikes by US forces on its strongholds and missile infrastructure.
But it did not pledge to end attacks on other shipping with alleged connections to Israel, and the two incidents over the past few days have intensified fears of a renewed shipping crisis on the vital global trade route.