Manila: Three more Filipino crew members of the Liberian-flagged vessel 'Eternity C,' which sank in the Red Sea after being attacked by Houthis off the coast of Yemen, have been safely rescued, bringing the total number of rescued Filipino seafarers to eight, according to Philippine state media on Friday.
The Philippines News Agency (PNA) quoted the country's Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac as saying on Radio Radyo Pilipinas that the number of Filipinos rescued from the vessel, which was sunk on Wednesday after being attacked by sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speedboats on Monday, July 7, is unknown.
Three more have been discovered, bringing the total to eight. I will not reveal their present location, Cacdac said, adding that reports of three to four potential fatalities are still being confirmed.
The Liberian-flagged Merchant Vessel Eternity C had 22 crew members on board when it sunk after sustaining damage in a Houthi assault.
In a statement on Thursday, the European Union's Aspides naval mission said that during the night of July 9-10, three more crew members of Filipino origin from the "Eternity C" and one from the Maritime Security Team (Greek nationality) were recovered from the sea, bringing the total number of those rescued to 10.
According to a Reuters report, the Greek operator of the ship, Cosmoship Management, confirmed yesterday that 10 people have been rescued and 10 remain unaccounted for.
One crew member is feared dead, and four others have not been seen since the assault on the vessel, the business said.
Maritime security sources informed the Reuters news organization that the Houthis were holding six crew members.
'Eternity C' was the second Greek-owned ship to be sunk this week by the Iran-backed terrorist organization off the coast of Yemen, as part of their plan to obstruct shipping in the Red Sea, a key maritime trade route for oil and commodities to the globe.
According to reports, Houthis assaulted the cargo ship 'Magic Seas' on Sunday using drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, and small arms fire, prompting the crew of 22 to abandon the ship. The insurgents subsequently asserted that they had sunk the Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged vessel in the Red Sea.
According to Al Jazeera, the occurrences are part of a Houthi campaign that began in November 2023, following the commencement of Israel's war on Gaza. More than 100 ships have been assaulted in operations that the Houthis claim to be in solidarity with Palestinians, according to the source.
Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree told Al Jazeera on Thursday that the organization had conducted a qualitative military operation against Israel. According to the media outlet, the Israeli military confirmed the attempted attack but intercepted the missile.
Following the breakdown of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in March 2025, US President Donald Trump's administration intensified the US military action against the Houthis.
In May of this year, the Trump administration reached an agreement with the Houthis, under which the militant group promised not to attack American vessels in the Red Sea in exchange for a US commitment not to harm them.
