A Filipino crew member aboard a Dutch cargo ship has succumbed to injuries from an attack by Houthi rebels in the Gulf of Aden last week, according to the Philippine government on Wednesday.
The attack on September 29 targeted the MV Minervagracht in a heavily trafficked shipping corridor, claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, leading to a fire and injuring two individuals.
The second injured person, also Filipino, is now recovering, while 10 other Filipino crew members returned to Manila over the weekend, as reported by the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers.
Philippine officials, accompanied by the deceased sailor’s sister and wife, are traveling to Djibouti to meet with the shipowner and coordinate the repatriation of his body, Migrant Workers Minister Hans Cacdac shared on the social media platform X on Wednesday.
The Houthis have stated that their attacks on commercial vessels are in support of Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
The Iran-backed faction controls extensive areas in Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.
