NEW DELHI: An Indian-flagged cargo vessel was struck by a projectile and sank off Yemen’s western coast on Tuesday. All 14 crew members aboard the vessel were rescued and brought to safety.Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said the MSV Faize Noore Oliya was hit by a projectile in Yemeni waters, causing it to capsize and sink. The crew comprised 13 Indian nationals and one Yemeni sailor.The Yemeni Coast Guard rescued all 14 crew members and brought them safely to the port of Mokha, Sonowal added. No casualties were reported.Ministry of External Affairs said the vessel sank in the Red Sea off the Yemeni coast on August 4 and confirmed that all 13 Indian nationals had been rescued. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh was coordinating with Yemeni authorities to ensure the safety of the crew and provide necessary assistance.The government-affiliated National Resistance Forces said coast guard and naval units carried out a joint rescue operation after the vessel was attacked about 13 nautical miles (24 km) south of the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah.
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The National Resistance Forces blamed Yemen’s Houthi rebels for the attack. The Houthis have not commented on the incident.Sonowal condemned what he called an “unprovoked attack” and said the safety of Indian seafarers remained the government’s “supreme priority”. He said the Director General of Maritime Administration had been instructed to coordinate with relevant agencies to ensure the security of Indian sailors in the region.The MEA also expressed concern over continued attacks on commercial shipping in the region, saying such targeting “must end”. It called for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through international waterways in the region, in accordance with international law, to be restored at the earliest.
