A strike by Iran-backed Houthi militias on a cargo vessel killed at least four people near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait off the coast of southern Yemen, the country's legitimate government said Tuesday.
The Yemeni government's transport ministry accused the Houthis of launching the salvo that hit a cargo vessel named the "Tihamah" with "three successive ballistic-missile strikes while it was sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait".
"The Houthi attack on the vessel which was carrying food supplies sparked a fire on board, killed four crew members -- three Pakistanis and one Indonesian -- and injured four others, as well as a member of the rescue team," said the ministry.
A source from the Yemeni government forces based in the port city of Mokha said five people had been killed in the incident.
Earlier, British maritime security company Vanguard reported that at least two people were killed in the incident on the Tihamah, but did not provide any information about a possible culprit.
"Two crew members, one Pakistani and one Indonesian national, were killed, while four others, comprising three Pakistani and one Indonesian national, were injured," the agency added.
"The Yemeni Navy subsequently deployed to assist the vessel and came under fire, resulting in one additional casualty."
Attacks on ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have increased uncertainty for shipping companies already hobbled by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
An average of 32 ships per day passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait last week, Kpler data showed. Prior to the blockade an average of 50 ships per day transited the strait.
The Houthis also attacked the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea coast and other areas of the country, deepening fears over threats to strategic shipping routes and a potential return to civil war.
Yemen's military said the militants targeted both Mokha and the central province of Marib with missiles and drones.
The Houthis struck Marib and the eastern province of Hadramawt last week, killing dozens of government troops and civilians. They hit Mokha with missiles and drones over the weekend and killed at least seven people, including three troops, according to the Yemeni military.
