Death toll rises to four in Red Sea Huthi ship attack: EU naval force

Four crew members of a cargo ship attacked and sunk by Yemeni rebels earlier this week are presumed dead, an EU naval force said Friday, with search operations ongoing in the Red Sea.

"Fifteen crew members are missing. The four presumed casualties are among the missing crew members," the European Union's Operation Aspides naval task force told AFP, citing a private company conducting search and rescue operations.

On Monday, the Iran-backed Huthi rebels attacked the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C in the Red Sea off the port city of Hodeida for two days before sinking it.

It was the second such attack on maritime shipping in the vital waterway in as many days after months of hiatus, marking a return to the rebels' campaign against shipping they accuse of having links to Israel.

The group says it is acting in solidarity with the Palestinian people over the war in Gaza.

"According to our information, the search and rescue operation performed by the private company in the area of the attack is ongoing," they added.

A total of 25 people were onboard the ship, according to Aspides.

On Wednesday, the Iran-backed Huthis said they had "rescued" an unspecified number of the Eternity C's crew and taken them to a safe location.

The US Embassy in Yemen accused the rebels of kidnapping the survivors.

The Huthis, who control large swathes of the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, had paused their attacks a little before a short-lived Gaza ceasefire in January before renewing them in recent days.