New Delhi: An Indian warship, INS Kolkata, rescued 21 crew members, including one Indian national, from a Barbados-flagged cargo vessel, the “True Confidence,” after it was attacked by a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday. Three crew members were killed in the attack, marking the first casualties since the Houthi group began targeting commercial ships in the region in response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The attack caused significant damage to the vessel, forcing the remaining crew to abandon ship and seek refuge on a life raft.
“INS Kolkata, deployed for maritime security operations, promptly responded to the incident arriving at the scene at 4.45 pm on Wednesday and using its helicopter and boats to safely evacuate the crew,” Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.
Critical medical aid was provided to the injured crew members on board the Indian warship before they were transported to Djibouti for further medical attention.
According to reports, two of the sailors killed in the missile strike were Filipinos and the other one was from Vietnam.
In the last few weeks, the Indian Navy has extended assistance to a number of merchant vessels in the Western Indian Ocean following attacks on them.