Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday “strongly condemned” the Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea that killed three Pakistani nationals, as he directed Pakistan’s embassy in Riyadh to coordinate with Saudi and Yemeni authorities for the repatriation of their remains.
According to Yemen’s Coast Guard, the three Pakistani nationals were among four crew members killed when the Yemeni-flagged vessel Tihamah was attacked by Houthi forces in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday. The vessel was reportedly struck three times by ballistic missiles, caught fire and sustained material damage, while another missile was fired as rescue teams attempted to reach the crew.
In a post on X, Dar said Pakistan was “in contact with the relevant Saudi authorities, as well as the internationally recognised Government of Yemen”, to ascertain further details of the incident and the circumstances surrounding it.
“I have directed our Embassy in Riyadh to immediately coordinate with the concerned authorities,” Dar said in the statement, adding that the embassy had been instructed to “strongly pursue all necessary measures” for the retrieval and repatriation of the “mortal remains” of the deceased Pakistanis.
He also directed the embassy to ensure “all possible assistance” was provided to the Pakistani national who was injured in the attack.
Dar said he had learnt with “deep concern” about the incident, adding that, according to information available so far, three Pakistani nationals had been killed and one had sustained injuries. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” he said.
Dar “strongly condemned the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel”, saying such attacks “endanger innocent lives” and “constitute a violation of international law”.
He said the attack also posed “a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea”. “We are closely following the situation and will continue to remain in close contact with the concerned authorities,” Dar said.
Houthis attack commercial vessel
According to Yemen’s Coast Guard, six people were killed and 10 others wounded on Tuesday when the Houthis attacked the commercial vessel carrying food supplies in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Eleven Pakistani and Indonesian sailors were also rescued, the coast guard said in a statement carried by state-run Yemen TV.
The dead included four crew members — three Pakistanis and one Indonesian — as well as two members of the Yemeni armed forces’ 2nd Naval Brigade. Seven crew members, two coast guard personnel and one member of the 2nd Naval Brigade were among those wounded, according to the statement.
Earlier, Yemen’s Transportation Ministry said the Yemeni-flagged vessel Tihamah had been struck three times by ballistic missiles while sailing through the strategic waterway, setting the ship on fire and causing material damage.
The ministry said Houthi forces fired another missile at the vessel as rescue teams attempted to reach the crew, in an effort to “disrupt the rescue operation and cause further casualties”.
It condemned the attack as a “terrorist crime”, saying it threatened “the safety of maritime navigation and international trade”.
The ministry said the targeting of the food-supply vessel was part of “an escalating Houthi campaign targeting ports, civilian infrastructure in government-controlled areas, and commercial vessels serving those areas”.
It warned that such attacks posed “a direct threat” to food and consumer goods supplies for millions of Yemenis in both government-controlled areas and territory held by the Houthis.
Yemeni sources said that after the attack, the crew lost control of the vessel and were approached by the Yemeni coastguard, which subsequently came under fire, UK maritime risk management group Vanguard said.
The vessel was also reported to have been hit by an unknown projectile while at anchor northeast of Perim Island, Yemen, according to the British Navy-affiliated UK Maritime Trade Operations and maritime security group Ambrey.
Shipping traffic
Shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb strait and Red Sea has fallen by more than 50% since an earlier wave of Houthi attacks on shipping in 2023-25.
They have fallen further since the Houthis announced their blockade last month, with an average of 32 ships per day passing through the strait last week, according to Kpler data, down from an average of 50 before the blockade.
Ambrey noted that the cargo ship, which sources said was the Tihamah, was not Saudi-owned or operated and that it had departed the Yemeni government-held port of al-Mokha on Saturday.
LSEG data lists Egyptian companies as owners and managers of the ship. Neither responded to Reuters emails and phone calls seeking immediate comment.
Traffic is even more disrupted in the Strait of Hormuz, with just six passing through on Monday, down from a 10-day average of about 11 and prewar levels of some 130 to 140.
This is not the first such case involving Pakistanis caught in the fallout from the widening conflict. On Feb 28, a Pakistani national was killed during the interception of an Iranian missile. A second Pakistani was later killed in Dubai’s Al Barsha area on Mar 8, followed by the third fatality in Abu Dhabi’s Bani Yas area on Mar 17. On March 27, a fourth Pakistani national was killed in Abu Dhabi’s Sweihan Street area after debris from an intercepted missile fell in the city.