At least four killed and 'many' kidnapped after Houthi rebels sink cargo ship Eternity C in Red Sea

At least four people have been killed and many other crew kidnapped after Houthi rebels sank a cargo ship in the Red Sea, authorities say.

Eternity C was first attacked on Monday afternoon with drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speedboats.

The European Union naval mission in the area said six people had been rescued after spending more than a day in the sea.

However, the fate of 15 of the crew is currently unknown.

In total, 22 crew - mostly Filipinos - were on board, as well as a three-member security team.

The ship finally sank on Wednesday after being attacked over two days.

The US embassy in Yemen posted on X that several survivors had been kidnapped.

"After killing their shipmates, sinking their ship, and hampering rescue efforts, the Houthi terrorists have kidnapped many surviving crew members of the Eternity C," the embassy said.

"We call for their immediate and unconditional safe release. The Houthis continue to show the world why the United States was right to label them a terrorist organisation."

A Houthi spokesperson claimed the Yemeni navy had rescued "a number of the ship's crew", given them medical care and taken them "to a safe location".

Eternity C's operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to requests for confirmation of casualties or injuries.

On Sunday, another ship, the Magic Seas was also sunk by Houthi rebels but all the crew were rescued.

Both of these ships flew Liberia flags and were operated by Greek firms. Their firms had docked at Israeli ports in the past year, shipping data showed.

The Houthi fighters - who are aligned with Iran - have attacked more than 100 ships from November 2023 to December 2024. They say it is a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.

The Red Sea off Yemen's coast is a critical waterway for the world's oil and commodities.

On Monday, Israel said it had struck Houthi-held Yemeni ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant.

"These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies," the Israeli military said.

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Both Israel and the US have struck ports in the area in the past - including an American attack that killed 74 people in April.

But Israel is now acting alone in attacking the rebels as they continue to fire missiles at Israel.

Separately on Wednesday, Tom Fletcher, the United Nations humanitarian chief, said more than 17 million people in Yemen are going hungry, including over a million children.

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