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The transport ministry of Yemen’s internationally recognized government said the dead included four Pakistani nationals and an Indonesian.The ministry said in a statement the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles on the Yemeni commercial vessel named Tihamah.
“The Houthi attack on the vessel which was carrying food supplies sparked a fire on board,” the ministry said. Four others on the ship were injured as well as a member of the rescue team,” the ministry said.
They are the first known deaths from Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the latest bout of fighting in the country, AP reported.
British maritime security company Vanguard said the Yemeni Navy deployed to assist the vessel and came under fire, “resulting in one additional casualty,” AFP reported.
The Bab El-Mandeb is the narrow strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea and is a key conduit for global shipping. Shipping in the waterway has come under increased pressure since the Houthis resumed attacks on vessels in the region last month.
It coincides with the collapse of a years-long truce in Yemen’s civil war between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government.
The attacks in the Bab El-Mandeb follow the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by the Houthis main supporter – Iran.
The Houthis threatened a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and attacked tankers in the Red Sea linked to the Kingdom, as well as some of its infrastructure.
In recent days, the Houthis attacked the government-held port city of Mocha on the Red Sea and other areas of the country.
They hit Mocha with missiles and drones over the weekend and killed at least seven people, including three troops, according to the Yemeni military.The Houthis struck Marib and the eastern province of Hadramout last week, killing dozens of government troops and civilians.
Mocha is a main port under Yemen’s internationally recognized government and has been renovated to handle shipping to avoid the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah.