Red Sea crisis: 2 Filipinos, 1 Vietnamese among crew killed in Houthi rebels’ first fatal attack on shipping
- Greek-owned vessel True Confidence is drifting and ablaze after a strike by the Iran-backed Yemen rebels
- Crew and armed guards include 15 Filipinos, 4 Vietnamese, 2 Sri Lankans, an Indian and a Nepali national
A Houthi missile attack killed three seafarers on a Red Sea merchant ship on Wednesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, the first fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned Yemeni group began strikes against shipping in one of the world’s busiest trade lanes.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen’s port of Aden.
In an earlier message on X responding to the Houthi claim, Britain’s embassy wrote: “At least 2 innocent sailors have died. This was the sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis recklessly firing missiles at international shipping. They must stop”.
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November in what they say is a campaign in solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza.
Britain and the United States have been launching retaliatory strikes against the Houthis, and the confirmation of fatalities could lead to pressure for stronger military action.
