Manila [Philippines], July 11 : Three more Filipino crew members of Liberian-flagged ship 'Eternity C,' which sank in the Red Sea after being attacked by Houthis off Yemen's coast, have been safely pulled out, bringing the total number of rescued Filipino seafarers to eight, Philippines state media reported Friday.
The Philippines News Agency (PNA) cited the country's Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac telling Radio Radyo Pilipinas that the number of Filipinos rescued from the ship, which was sunk on Wednesday, after being hit with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speedboats on Monday, July 7.
"Three more were found, so there are now eight of them. I will not disclose their current location," Cacdac said adding that reports of three to four possible fatalities are still being verified.
The Liberian-flagged Merchant Vessel Eternity C had on board 22 crew members when it sank following damage it sustained in the Houthi attack.
In a statement on Thursday, the European Union's Aspides naval mission said during the night July 9-10, three additional crew members of Filipino nationality from the 'Eternity C' and one from the Maritime Security Team (Greek nationality), have recovered from the sea - bringing the total number of those rescued to 10.
A Reuters report stated that the Greek operator of the vessel, Cosmoship Management had yesterday confirmed that so far 10 people have been rescued and 10 remain unaccounted for.
One person is believed dead and another four have not been seen since the attack on the ship, the company said.
Maritime security sources told the Reuters news agency that the Houthis were holding six crew members.
'Eternity C' was the second Greek-owned vessel that was sunk this week by the Iran-backed terrorist group off the coast of Yemen, in their attempt to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea, which is a vital maritime trade route for oil and commodities to the world.
Reports have claimed that Houthis attacked the cargo vessel 'Magic Seas' on Sunday with drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire, forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vessel. The rebels later claimed that they sank the Greek-owned and Liberian- flagged ship in the Red Sea.
As per Al Jazeera the incidents are a revival of a Houthi campaign launched in November 2023 after the start of Israel's war on Gaza. More than 100 ships have since been attacked in operations the Houthis say are in solidarity with Palestinians, the outlet reported.
Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree was cited by Al Jazeera as saying on Thursday that the group had carried out a "qualitative military operation" targeting Israel. The Israeli military confirmed the attempted strike but said it had intercepted the missile, according to the media organization..
After the Israel-Hamas ceasefire collapsed in March 2025, US President Donald Trump's administration ramped up the American military campaign against the Houthis.
The Trump administration signed an agreement with the Iran-aligned Houthis in May this year in which the militant group pledged not to target American ships in the Red Sea in return for a US commitment not to attack them.