Footage has emerged of sailors being rescued after the first fatal attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in one of the world’s busiest trade lanes.
The attack on the Barbados-flagged Liberian-owned bulk carrier True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden killed at least three people, according to US officials.
At least four crew members were injured, of which three are in critical condition.
A US warship and the Indian navy, which were both on the scene, assisted rescue efforts.
The bulk carrier vessel True Confidence in March 2022. File pic: Dario Bonazza/Reuters
Footage shows sailors being pulled to safety by the Indian navy following the attack, on Wednesday around 11.30am local time.
Sailors were seen being helped from a life raft after abandoning the ship.
Later, crew members were seen being attended to by emergency services.
The ship was set ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast.
The Houthis began attacking ships in and around the Red Sea in October, and say their aim is to stop Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The White House has warned there will be a response to the attack.
It is unclear what that will be, but the US has already launched a series of airstrikes targeting the Houthis, a rebel group that has held Yemen’s capital since 2014.
It comes after another ship sank last weekend after being abandoned following a Houthi attack.
The Rubymar cargo vessel has been drifting in the Red Sea since it was hit by a Houthi missile in the Bab al Mandeb Strait on Sunday 18 February.
All crew were safely evacuated from the vessel, which is carrying 22,000 tonnes of fertiliser believed to be volatile.