MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that the ship involved in an attack in the Red Sea has sunk, while rescue operations are now ongoing.
In a message to reporters via Viber, Undersecretary for Migration Affairs Eduardo de Vega said that “atleast five of the 21 Filipino seafarers, including the ship’s captain, have been rescued.”
Unfortunately, De Vega said that there are reports of at least two casualties in the attack.
When asked what are the nationalities of the two casualties, De Vega said it is “most likely” a Filipino national.
He explained that the crew of the ship, Eternity C, comprised of 22 crewmen, all Filipino, except for one, which is a Russian national, international media reports reveal.
Eternity C was first attacked on Monday afternoon with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats by Yemen-based Houthi militants, maritime security sources said.
According to reports from Reuters, two security sources said that the vessel was attacked again on Tuesday night, forcing the crew to jump into the water.
The Iran-aligned group has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
One source said that there were fears some of the crew may have been kidnapped by the Houthis.
The Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated vessel's operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to requests for confirmation of casualties or injuries, Reuters stated in their report.
Greek government officials have been in diplomatic talks with Saudi Arabia, a key player in the region, over the incident, according to sources.
Eternity C is the second vessel attacked in the Red Sea in the past week following an assault on the cargo ship MV Magic Seas, after months of calm in the region.
The deaths are the first fatalities involving attacks on shipping in the Red Sea since June 2024.
(With reports by Renee Maltezou, Yannis Souliotis and Jonathan Saul; editing by Jan Harvey, Saad Sayeed and Jason Neely / REUTERS)
