ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Houthi group on Saturday denied any involvement in the projectile attack earlier in the day in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen's coast, which led to the explosion and burning of a Cameroon-flagged oil tanker, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said in a statement on social media platform X that it had received reports of a vessel struck by an unknown projectile about 116 nautical miles east of the Yemeni port city of Aden, which subsequently caught fire.
A source from Yemen's government coast guard identified the vessel as MV FALCON, noting that "the situation is under control" following rapid rescue operations, and that an investigation has been launched into the attack.
The source said all 26 crew members were safely evacuated from the vessel, but a statement issued later by EU military operation EUNAVFOR Aspides on X said 24 of them -- one Ukrainian and 25 Indians -- have been rescued and are being transported to Djibouti, while the other two remain missing.
According to EUNAVFOR Aspides, the vessel was sailing 113 nautical miles southeast of Aden when the attack came. It then exploded, caught fire, and has been adrift.
"Initial assessments suggest that approximately 15 percent of the ship is on fire. The cause of the blast remains unclear, but indications point to an onboard accident," it added.
The Gulf of Aden is a key maritime corridor linking the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. In recent months, the waterway and the neighboring Red Sea have witnessed repeated attacks on commercial shipping, attributed to the Houthis. The group says its operations are aimed at pressuring Israel and its allies in solidarity with the Palestinians amidst the Gaza conflict. ■