Three killed in missile attack on cargo ship: US military

Sanaa: A Houthi missile attack on a Barbados-flagged cargo ship killed three crew members and wounded four others, US officials said. US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US operations in the Middle East, said on Wednesday that Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels attacked the cargo ship ‘True Confidence’ with an anti-ship ballistic missile while transiting the Gulf of Aden. “Three members of the ship’s crew were killed and four others were injured in the attack. Three of them are in critical condition and the ship was also extensively damaged,” it said.
The crew included 20 members from various countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Nepal, Xinhua news agency quoted Yemeni sources as saying. Sources said that in the event of the ship sinking after the attack, most of the crew members escaped safely from the ship through lifeboats, but three members are still missing. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on its website that members of the US and British navies deployed to the Red Sea arrived at the scene to provide assistance following the attack. Data from ship-tracking service MarineTraffic showed the Barbados-flagged ship departed international waters on Feb. 13 and was headed toward the Saudi port of Jeddah. In retaliation, US and British coalition forces deployed in the Red Sea launched two airstrikes on Hodeidah airport, Masira TV reported, although there was no immediate comment from the coalition regarding the attack.