Ten mariners rescued after Houthi terrorists sank a Greek ship last week have arrived in Saudi Arabia, maritime security sources said on Monday, after rescuers ended their search for the remaining crew.
Maritime agencies Diaplous and Ambrey said on Sunday they had ended their search for the remaining crew of the Eternity C, which was attacked by Yemen's Houthi terrorist group last week.
The rescue mission began on Wednesday when the Iran-aligned group sank the Liberia-flagged Eternity C cargo ship, with 22 crew and three armed guards on board, after attacking the vessel with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades over two consecutive days.
The decision was made at the request of the vessel's owner, both agencies said.
The Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated Eternity C sank on Wednesday morning following attacks over two consecutive days, according to sources at security companies involved in the rescue operation.
Ten of the ship's complement of 22 crew and three guards were rescued. The Houthis said they had rescued some of the crew.
The crew included 21 Filipinos and one Russian. Three armed guards were also on board, including one Greek and one Indian, who were both rescued.
"The decision to end the search has been taken by the vessel's owner reluctantly but it believes that, in all the circumstances, the priority must now be to get the 10 souls safely recovered alive ashore," maritime risk management firm Diaplous and British security firm Ambrey said in a joint statement.
The ship carrying the rescued crew has arrived in Jizan, a Diaplous official said.
The remaining 15 people who were on board are considered missing, according to the vessel's Greece-based manager, Cosmoship. Five of them are believed to have died before the vessel sank, according to maritime security sources.
The Houthis also claimed responsibility for a similar assault last Sunday targeting another ship, the Magic Seas. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it sank.
The EU's naval mission Aspides, which protects shipping in the Red Sea, has said that it had no naval assets in the area at the time of the attacks. No international naval force was present, according to maritime security sources.
The Houthis have attacked more than 100 ships since November 2023 in what they say is an act of solidarity with the Palestinians over the Gaza war.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Writing by Hatem Maher; Editing by Sandra Maler)