Five Filipino seafarers were rescued when a Liberia-flagged and Greek-operated cargo ship sunk Wednesday, July 9, after being attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) bared.

MV Eternity C descended into the bottom of the Red Sea around 1 p.m. (PH Standard Time), several days after the July 7 siege staged by Houthi rebels while the vessel was sailing off 50 nautical miles southwest of the port of Hodeidah in Yemen.

All in all, the vessel has 22 crew members: 21 Filipinos and a Russian. The DMW said all those rescued are Filipinos. Aside from the crew, the ship also has four armed guards. Rescue personnel also found an Indian armed guard during the ongoing mission.

“Nagkaroon ng ulat kaninang umaga na mayroong two security firms na involved na inatasan ng ship owner na magsagawa ng rescue (There was a report earlier this morning that two security firms were involved and were assigned by the ship owner to conduct the rescue),” DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in a press briefing on Wednesday night.

“Noong tanghali, nagkaroon na ng mga ulat, informal muna, na ang barko ay lumubog at agad kaming nagpaschedule ng meeting with the ship owner. Nakumpirma from the ship owner na lumubog ‘yung Eternity C at sabay nito mayroong limang tripulante na nasa tubig sila at nakita sila ng rescue team at nasagip sila (By noon, there were already reports, initially informal, that the ship had sunk, so we immediately scheduled a meeting with the ship owner. It was confirmed by the ship owner that the Eternity C had indeed sunk, and at the same time, five crew members were in the water, they were spotted by the rescue team, and were rescued),” he added.

The five rescued seafarers are now “safe and sound” but Cacdac did not disclose where they were brought for security reasons.

Cacdac said the DMW was also verifying reports from international media that three to four crew members also died from the attack.

“We will still have to confirm and the best source at this stage is the seafarers themselves. Kapag nakapanayam natin ‘yung lima at nakausap natin sila, malalaman natin sa kanila kung ilan nga ba at anong kinaratnan, kung meron mang nasawi, anong kinaratnan ng mga nasawi (Once we are able to interview and talk to the five, we will find out from them how many there really are and what happened, if there were fatalities, what became of them),” the migrant workers chief continued.

The DMW arranged personal meetings with the families of the Filipino crew members as well as the manning agency and representatives from the ship owner to get updates about the incident.

“Nagaantabay tayo, nananalig tayo na dito sa ongoing search for others ay mayroon ding pagkalinaw kung ano nga bang kinahinatnan nila at sana mahanap sila (We are waiting and holding on to hope that in the ongoing search for the others, there will be clarity about what really happened to them, and hopefully, they will be found),” Cacdac said, noting that there was still no confirmation of fatalities from the ship operator, Cosmoship Management.

Earlier reports said that armed Houthi rebels boarded the ship using fast-moving skiffs (small boats) and launched attacks using sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) that significantly damaged the vessel’s communications system, engine room, and bridge.

Prior to this, Houthi rebels also attacked another Liberia-flagged cargo ship, MV Magic Seas, on Sunday but all of its 19 crew members, including 17 Filipinos, were rescued. The vessel has also sunk in the Red Sea.

Cacdac said they will be repatriated on Friday, July 11.

Houthi rebels have been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea, claiming the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. The escalation began after Israel launched a military offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, following a surprise attack by the militant group that killed over 1,200 people in Israel.

In response, Israel carried out large-scale airstrikes and a ground invasion in Gaza, resulting in tens of thousands of Palestinian casualties and a deepening humanitarian crisis.

The Houthis, an Iran-backed armed group based in Yemen, said their attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes are meant to pressure Israel and its allies to halt the Gaza offensive.

The assaults, which have included missile strikes and drone attacks on commercial vessels, have disrupted global trade routes and prompted international condemnation.