Houthi attack kills at least two, sinks MV Eternity C with 17 Filipinos missing

The Department of Migrant Workers confirmed on Tuesday that Houthi militants attacked two foreign-flagged vessels with mostly Filipino crews off Yemen.

MV Magic Seas was attacked last Sunday and its 17 Filipino crew members were rescued by a passing container ship; they are now safe in a hotel in Djibouti and expected to return to the Philippines on Friday, July 11.

The Liberian-flagged vessel's security team repelled the attack with gunfire, allowing the crew to escape safely.

MV Eternity C, a bulk carrier with 21 Filipino crew members, was attacked off the coast of Qadida, Yemen early Tuesday morning; as of Thursday, three more Filipino seafarers have been rescued, bringing the total number of rescued sailors to eight. The vessel has since sunk and at least two deaths are reported.

Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac assured the public that they are working on the safe repatriation of the affected seafarers and will continue to monitor the situation closely, confirming Wednesday night that Eternity C had indeed sunk with 17 crew members still unaccounted for.

Cacdac reminded shipowners and manning agencies to report scheduled passages through the OFW monitoring system and respect seafarers' right to refuse sailing in high-risk areas.