Dubai (AFP) – Six mariners have been rescued after a deadly attack on a cargo ship that sank off rebel-held Yemen, an EU maritime force said Wednesday, as the search continued for the rest of the crew.
The Eternity C, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, was badly damaged in the attack in the Red Sea that started on Monday and continued into Tuesday.
Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels have not claimed responsibility for the attack, which came after they boarded and sank the Magic Seas on Sunday, their first attack on shipping this year.
But the US embassy in Yemen has blamed the Huthis, with UK-based security firm Ambrey also saying the group was likely to blame.
The resumed attacks on shipping mark the end of a months-long lull which began during a two-month ceasefire in Gaza earlier this year and continued after a May ceasefire between the Huthis and Washington.
"Following the attack on the merchant vessel Eternity C in the southern Red Sea, currently six (6) castaway crew members have been recovered from the sea," said Operation Aspides, the European Union naval task force deployed in the Red Sea.
Aspides told AFP that five Filipinos and one Indian had been rescued, while 19 others were still missing.
The ship sank, according to Ambrey and Filipino authorities citing information shared by the vessel's owners.
"We were informed that they might have some injuries but there were no serious injuries that were reported," among the five rescued Filipinos, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac told reporters in Manila.
A total of 25 people were aboard the Eternity, Aspides told AFP. The Philippine authorities said 21 were citizens.
Earlier, the British navy's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations had reported five crew had been rescued after "search and rescue operations commenced overnight".
"Searches continue for those remaining," it added.
On Tuesday, Aspides had said three people were killed and at least two injured -- including a Russian electrician who lost a leg -- in the attack on the Eternity C.
The Huthis began its attacks on Red Sea shipping in late 2023, saying they were in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
On Monday, they said they hit the Magic Seas because its owner had done business with Israel and used its ports.
The rebels released a video showing masked gunmen storming the Magic Seas and simultaneous explosions that scuttled the bulk carrier.
Both ships had likely been attacked "due to prior Israeli port calls or ownership/ship manager affiliations", according to the Joint Maritime Information Centre, run by Western navies.
Huthi attacks have prompted many shipping firms to make the time-consuming detour around the southern tip of Africa to avoid the Red Sea, which normally carries about 12 percent of global trade.
Huthi threats to renew their attacks after the Gaza ceasefire collapsed in March prompted a deadly US bombing campaign against the rebels which ended with a May ceasefire.
However, the rebels said they would continue to target "Israeli ships".
In a statement on Tuesday, the US embassy in Yemen blamed the Huthis for the Eternity C attack, calling it "the most violent" yet and accusing them of "undermining freedom of navigation in the Red Sea".
Israel, which has also come under direct missile and drone attack by the Huthis, has carried out multiple strikes on rebel targets in Yemen, most recently on Sunday.