The China Mail - Ten rescued after deadly Huthi ship sinking off Yemen

Three Filipino crew and a Greek member of the Eternity C ship's onboard security team were plucked from the sea overnight, "bringing the total number of those rescued to 10", the European Union's Operation Aspides naval task force posted on X.

On Wednesday, the Iran-backed Huthis said they had "rescued" an unspecified number of the Eternity C's crew and taken them to a safe location. The US embassy for Yemen accused the rebels of kidnapping the survivors.

The deadly attack was the rebels' second assault on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea in recent days and threatened a May truce with the United States that ended weeks of air strikes on Huthi targets.

Rebel leader Abdel Malek al-Huthi said both ships belonged to companies serving Israeli ports.

He said the attacks would continue "as long as the (Israeli) aggression and siege of Gaza persist".

The Huthis released a video showing the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier being attacked and sunk -- their second sinking of a cargo ship after they scuttled the Magic Seas on Sunday.

A total of 25 people were onboard the Liberian-flagged Eternity C, according to Operation Aspides.

On Tuesday, the force told AFP that three people were killed in the Huthi attack and at least two wounded, including a Russian electrician who lost a leg.

The two sinkings broke a months-long lull in Huthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, which began after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

The attacks, which the Huthis say target Israel-linked shipping in solidarity with the Palestinians, have prompted many firms to avoid a route that normally carries about 12 percent of global trade.

- 'Grave concern' -

The Huthis, who control large swathes of the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, had paused their attacks after a Gaza ceasefire started in January.

Huthi-held areas of Yemen came under weeks of heavy bombardment by the United States before a ceasefire was agreed in May. However, the rebels told AFP at the time that they would continue to attack "Israeli" ships.

The Magic Seas and Eternity C were probably attacked "due to prior Israeli port calls or ownership/ship manager affiliations", according to the Joint Maritime Information Centre, run by Western navies.

The United Nations envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, expressed "grave concern" over the latest attacks that resulted in "civilian loss of life and casualties as well as the potential for environmental damage".

While the Magic Seas crew was rescued by an Emirati ship, the attack on the Eternity C was the deadliest since three people were killed in a missile attack on the True Confidence in March last year.

Other Huthi attacks include the storming and hijacking of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier, in November 2023, and the sinking of the Rubymar carrying 21,000 tonnes of fertiliser in February 2024.

V.Liu--ThChM