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Two dead in first fatal Houthi attack on Red Sea shipping
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. Earlier, a shipping source said four mariners had been severely burned and three were missing after a missile hit the ship.
Two seafarers were killed in a Houthi missile attack on a Red Sea merchant ship on Wednesday, British and U.S. officials said, the first fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned Yemeni group began strikes against shipping in one of the world's busiest sea 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.
- "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." A senior U.S. official also confirmed two sailors had died.
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November in what they claim 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.
- Earlier, a shipping source said four mariners had been severely burned and three were missing after a missile hit the ship.
- The Greek operators of the True Confidence said the vessel was struck about 50 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Aden and was drifting and ablaze.
- They said no information was available about the status of 20 crew and three armed guards on board, who included 15 Filipinos, four Vietnamese, two Sri Lankans, an Indian and a Nepali national.
"Coalition forces are supporting the vessel and the crew," UKMTO said. Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), the leading seafarers union, called for urgent action to protect its members.
"We have consistently warned the international community and the maritime industry about the escalating risks faced by seafarers in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. Today ... we see those warnings tragically confirmed," Cotton said. Four days ago, the Rubymar, a UK-owned bulk carrier, became the first ship to sink as a result of a Houthi attack, after floating for two weeks with severe damage from a missile strike. All crew were safely evacuated from that vessel.
- The Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.
- The cost of insuring a seven-day voyage through the Red Sea has risen by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- While the militia has said it would attack vessels with links to the United Kingdom, the United States and Israel, shipping industry sources say all ships could be at risk.
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