FM Dar says six Pakistani sailors return safely after Houthi attack, two bodies repatriated

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that six Pakistani sailors injured in a recent Houthi attack on a Tanzanian-flagged commercial vessel returned safely to Pakistan, while the bodies of two others who were killed in the attack were also repatriated

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 August 11. 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 statement issued on X, Dar said the six injured sailors had “safely returned to Pakistan”, while the mortal remains of the two sailors who “tragically lost their lives” had also been brought back.

He said all relevant stakeholders had been directed to ensure the sailors’ “safe, dignified and expeditious repatriation”.

Dar praised the Consulate General of Pakistan in Jeddah and the country’s embassy in Riyadh for their “prompt and dedicated efforts” to facilitate the return of the injured sailors and the repatriation of the bodies from Yemen and their onward travel to Pakistan.

He noted that the efforts had been made “in the absence of a Pakistani diplomatic mission in Yemen”.

The foreign minister also appreciated the efforts of relevant stakeholders, including the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), in ensuring the sailors’ smooth arrival and onward arrangements in Pakistan.

Dar “deeply” appreciated the cooperation extended by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the medical assistance and arrangements provided in Jeddah.

Pakistan “condemned the attack in the strongest terms”, Dar said, adding that the government reiterated that “the safety and security of seafarers must be ensured at all times”.

He said Pakistan remained committed to extending “all possible assistance” to the injured sailors and the families of those who had died.

The development followed Dar’s earlier statement on August 12, a day after the attack, when he had “strongly condemned” the Houthi strike and directed Pakistan’s embassy in Riyadh to coordinate with Saudi and Yemeni authorities for the repatriation of the three Pakistani sailors’ “mortal remains”.

He had also instructed the embassy to pursue “all necessary measures” for their return and ensure “all possible assistance” was provided to the Pakistani national who was injured. At the time, Dar said Pakistan was “in contact with the relevant Saudi authorities” and the internationally recognised government of Yemen to establish further details about the incident.

Houthis attack commercial vessel

According to Yemen’s Coast Guard, six people were killed and 10 others wounded on August 11 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.

Also Read: 4th Pakistani killed by missile debris in UAE

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.