Yemen: Houthi missile attack on commercial ship kills 6, injures 10

Aden, August 11 (KUNA) -- The death toll from the missile attack launched by Houthi militias on the Yemeni commercial vessel “Tihama” as it was sailing through the Bab al-Mandab strait on Tuesday rose to six dead and 10 wounded. The Yemeni Coast Guard administration stated in a bulletin that the deceased included three Pakistani crew members, one Indonesian crew member, and two soldiers from the government forces, while seven of the injured were crew members and three were personnel from the Coast Guard and the Second Naval Brigade. It noted that the vessel had been subjected to repeated missile attacks, the latest of which targeted government rescue teams that had moved to evacuate the ship’s 11 sailors, who hold Pakistani and Indonesian nationalities, resulting in the reported number of casualties among the sailors and the rescue team. It further pointed out that a drone-laid explosive boat belonging to Houthi militias was detected attempting to target the vessel from the sea about three hours after the initial attack, but it was intercepted and destroyed before reaching its target. The administration affirmed that this aggression constitutes a serious escalation and a direct threat to the security and safety of maritime navigation, as well as to the lives of sailors and rescue teams in the Bab al-Mandab strait, and once again reveals the dangers posed by Houthi militia attacks on commercial ships and international sea lanes. The administration stressed in its bulletin that Yemeni Coast Guard forces continue to carry out their duties to protect maritime navigation, respond to distress calls, save sailors’ lives, and address threats targeting the security and safety of sea lanes, in coordination with competent authorities and forces responsible for maritime security in the region. Earlier on Tuesday, the Yemeni Ministry of Transport announced that four sailors, four other crew members, and one member of the rescue team were killed and others injured after Houthi militias targeted the Yemeni vessel “Tihama” with three successive ballistic missiles while it was sailing through the Bab al-Mandab strait. (End) S.N.S./S.A.M.