DUBAI – Search efforts continued on Thursday for over twelve crew members unaccounted for after Yemen’s Houthi rebels sank a ship in the Red Sea. The United States has accused the group of possibly “kidnapping” those aboard.

The Houthis have shared intense footage showing the destruction of the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned vessel, Eternity C. The rebels attacked the ship using gunfire and explosive drones over several hours, resulting in the deaths of at least three crew members.

The assault on the Eternity C and the subsequent destruction of the bulk carrier Magic Seas, following another attack on Sunday, signal an escalation in violence by the Houthis. This surge in hostilities comes after a period of restraint they attribute to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, a new possible ceasefire in that war — as well as the future of talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s battered nuclear program — remain in the balance.

US warns Houthis may have ‘kidnapped’ survivors

A statement from the European Union naval mission in the Red Sea said the crew of the Eternity C included 22 sailors, among them 21 Filipinos and one Russian, as well as a three-member security team. Rescuers on Wednesday recovered five Filipinos and one Indian.

Three people also were killed during the hourslong attack on the ship, the EU force said, and their nationalities weren’t immediately known.

In footage released by the Houthis, a rebel can be purportedly heard on a VHF radio transmission offering those on board the ability to flee the sinking vessel. However, it wasn’t clear if any more crew fled and what happened to them.

In a post late Wednesday on the X, the U.S. Embassy in Yemen — which has operated from Saudi Arabia for about a decade now — alleged that the rebels may have taken some of the crew.

“After killing their shipmates, sinking their ship and hampering rescue efforts, the Houthi terrorists have kidnapped many surviving crew members of the Eternity C,” the embassy said. “We call for their immediate and unconditional safe release.”

The Houthis haven’t acknowledged taking any of the fleeing crew members and didn’t mention whether it had any of them in their custody. However, the rebels can take days at times before acknowledging attacks.

Attacks draw condemnation and support for sailors

In the Philippines, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said that he has been leading an effort to reach out to the families of the missing Filipino sailors to update them on the search and rescue efforts.

“It’s human nature that one should be terribly worried and distraught about the situation,” Cacdac told The Associated Press by telephone. “It’s our role in government to be there for them in their utmost hour of need to ensure that not just government services, but throughout this hand-holding process, we will provide the necessary support.”

The Eternity C, flagged out of Liberia but owned by a Greek firm, likely had been targeted like the Magic Seas over its firm doing business with Israel. Neither vessel apparently requested an escort from the EU force.

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Jim Gomez contributed to this report from Manila, Philippines.