Four More Rescued from Ship Attacked by Houthis in Red Sea, EU Force Confirms
Initial rescue operations had already saved six people, and Thursday’s update brings the total number of confirmed survivors to ten.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Four additional crew members have been rescued following the deadly Houthi missile strike that sank a cargo ship in the Red Sea earlier this week, bringing the total number of survivors to ten, a European Union naval force announced Thursday, according to AFP.
Operation Aspides, the EU maritime mission established to protect international shipping in the Red Sea, said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) that three Filipino crew members and one Greek security personnel were “recovered from the sea,” days after the ship was targeted by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
The vessel, identified as the Eternity C, was struck and sunk by Houthi forces in what has become one of the deadliest maritime attacks since the group's campaign against international shipping began in late 2023. Initial rescue operations had already saved six people, and Thursday’s update brings the total number of confirmed survivors to ten.
According to AFP, the fate of other crew members remains uncertain, with multiple reports suggesting some survivors may have been captured by Houthi fighters after abandoning the sinking vessel. The U.S. Embassy in Yemen has strongly condemned the attack, accusing the Houthis of killing seafarers and kidnapping others.
The Red Sea has become increasingly volatile as the Houthis step up attacks on commercial ships, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza while also challenging Western naval presence in the region. The assaults have disrupted global trade routes and prompted multinational efforts, including Operation Aspides, to safeguard maritime security.
The European Union launched Operation Aspides earlier this year as a defensive mission to escort and protect commercial vessels traversing the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The escalation has drawn widespread international condemnation, with growing pressure on the Houthis to cease targeting civilian shipping and allow safe passage for seafarers.
Efforts to locate additional missing crew members are ongoing, with European and allied naval forces continuing search-and-rescue operations amid heightened tensions in the region.
