Filipino seafarers injured in Houthi attack safely return to the Philippines

The United States has vowed to hold Yemen’s Houthi rebels accountable for a missile strike on a merchant vessel that killed two people. The vessel, a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier, was hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile launched by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Two wounded Filipino crew members of the vessel have returned to the Philippines for medical treatment after being cleared “fit for travel” by authorities in Djibouti. The crew members suffered serious injuries, including severe facial burns and an amputated leg, in the missile strike.

Eleven crew members of the merchant vessel True Confidence, including the two injured Filipinos, returned to the Philippines nearly a week after the attack. The missile strike in the Red Sea resulted in the deaths of three seafarers, including two Filipinos, whose remains have yet to be recovered. Filipino mariners make up over 25% of the 1.5 million sea-based workers worldwide, with the highest number coming from the Philippines. Since November, Houthi rebels have been targeting ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians during Israel’s conflict with Gaza.

The Department of Migrant Workers in the Philippines has stated that the crew members and their families have requested privacy as they continue their recovery. The attack on the merchant vessel is part of a series of incidents in which Houthi rebels have targeted ships in the Red Sea. The United States has condemned the attack and vowed to hold the rebels accountable for their actions.

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