Friday 11 / July / 2025
Search and rescue operations are underway in the Red Sea as more than a dozen crew members from the Greek-owned Eternity C remain unaccounted for after their ship was attacked by Yemeni Houthi rebels.
Three further crew members and a security were pulled from the Red Sea on Thursday, according to maritime security sources speaking with Reuters news agency.
The Iran-backed militants reportedly killed at least three crew members in a gunfire and explosive drone attack that lasted for hours. The group released video footage claiming to show the Liberian-flagged vessel sinking.
A statement from the EU's Red Sea naval mission said a total of 25 people were on the vessel at the time of the attack — 22 sailors and a three-member security detail. So far, six men have been rescued, pulled from the sea after more than 24 hours in the water.
The US Embassy in Yemen, meanwhile, accused the Houthis of having kidnapped several crew members.
A statement by the US mission on X called "for their immediate and unconditional safe release," noting that "the Houthis continue to show the world why the United States was right to label them a terrorist organization."
The Eternity C is the second cargo ship rebels have sunk in recent days, with the bulk carrier Magic Seas also targeted and sunk, allegedly for doing business with Israel.
Citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, the Houthis have attacked more than 100 such ships in the Red Sea since November 2023.
The two attacks this week are the first since November 2024.
