Houthi attack on ship causes loss of life

The Philippine government says two Filipino crew members were killed in a missile attack by Yemen's Houthi forces on a ship in the Gulf of Aden.

This is the first deadly attack by the Houthis on merchant ships passing through the vital Red Sea trade route. According to CNA, the Philippine Department of Labor and Immigration confirmed that two Filipino sailors were killed and two others were seriously injured when their vessel was attacked.

The Philippine government is contacting the ship owners and crew management agencies to determine the status of those remaining on board, the ministry said.

According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile at the Liberian-owned, Barbados-flagged M/V True Confidence, killing three people, injuring at least four, three of whom are in critical condition, and causing significant damage to the ship.

The ship M/V True Confidence at the time of being hit by a Houthi missile. Photo: CENTCOM

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree wrote on social media that the ship was targeted by missiles after the crew ignored warning messages. Manila is still trying to rescue 17 Filipinos from a ship that was taken hostage by Houthi rebels in November 2023 after seizing the vessel while sailing in the Red Sea.

According to FT, the company that owns the cargo ship M/V True Confidence confirmed that a Vietnamese sailor was one of the three victims killed in the Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden. All on board have been taken to Djibouti. True Confidence has a crew of 20 (15 Filipinos, 4 Vietnamese and 1 Indian). In addition, there are 3 armed guards on board, including 2 Sri Lankans and 1 Nepalese. The ship was attacked while carrying steel from China to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

KHANH MINH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/houthi-tan-cong-tau-bien-gay-thiet-hai-nhan-mang-post729743.html