A Catholic maritime agency has deplored on Friday the missile strike by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a ship in the Gulf of Aden that killed three seafarers, including two Filipinos.
READ: Three killed in first fatal Houthi attack on Red Sea shipping, CENTCOM says
“We call on the Houthis to stop all the attacks, aggression, and intrusion in the Red Sea,” said Bishop Ruperto Santos of Stella Maris – Philippines.
“This incident underscores the danger to human life, property, and the marine environment in the area,” he said.
Aside from the two, there were 13 other Filipinos on board the Liberian-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence and three of them were injured in Wednesday’s attack.
The bishop called for prayers and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
“We are one and united with the families of the victims. We urge them to be strong and lift up everyone and everything to God,” Santos said.
The Houthis, embroiled in a decade-long civil conflict, claim their attacks oppose Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In November last year, 17 Filipino seafarers, who were among the 25 crewmen, were held hostage by the Houthi rebel group after taking over a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.