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Second ship attacked by Yemeni Houthi rebels sinks in the Red Sea

A cargo ship sank in the Red Sea on Wednesday after being attacked by The Houthi rebels in YemenThe British military’s Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said in a message to other sailors in the region. One sailor on board is said to have died in the attack, reported The Associated Press. This would be the second deadly attack by the Houthis on international shipping.

The ship, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier named Tutor, was the second to sink due to a Houthi attack, the first being a British-owned vessel. hit by a rocketNo one was killed in the attack, but it is believed that the sinking ship severed several undersea communications cables.

US authorities said a Houthi missile attack on another merchant shipAt least three people were killed and four others injured in an attack in the Gulf of Aden in March.

Getty/iStockphoto


The UKMTO’s warning on Tuesday said the Tutor was struck on the stern by a small, white boat, about 5.5 metres long, on June 12. The carrier began taking on water and was then struck by an “unidentified aerial projectile”. The crew were evacuated and debris and oil were reported at the ship’s last known location, suggesting the vessel had sunk.

The U.S. Navy helped evacuate the ship’s crew when it was attacked on June 12. In a statement Monday, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group said the attack on the Tutor caused severe damage and flooding of the engine room, and one sailor was still missing.

It was reported that a Navy helicopter transported 24 sailors from the Tutor to the USS Philippine Sea, then transferred them to the American aircraft carrier for medical examination and then flown them ashore for further treatment.

Sailors from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group assist distressed sailors rescued from the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier M/V Tutor, which was attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea on June 15, 2024.

US Naval Forces Central Command/5. US Fleet/Handout


Since November, there have been ongoing attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels in the important shipping corridors of the Red Sea and the surrounding waters. The Houthis describe the attacks as a direct response to the war between Israel and Hamas. Like Hamas, the Yemeni rebel group is supported by Iran.

The USA accuses Iran in December that he had been “significantly involved in the attacks on ships in the Red Sea.”

On June 13, the U.S. Navy evacuated a critically injured sailor from the Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned ship Verbena. The vessel was in the Gulf of Aden when it was struck by two anti-ship cruise missiles fired from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.