Foreign Ministry Confirms Indonesian Crew Among Victims in Bab Al-Mandeb Attack

Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that three Indonesian crew members were victims of an attack in the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, Yemen, on Tuesday. Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens, Heni Hamidah, stated that the Indonesians were crew members of the MV Tihamah, which was attacked by a drone while docked at the Bab Al-Mandeb port. Previous reports had not specified the name of the vessel involved. “Of the three Indonesian crew members, one suffered minor injuries from shrapnel and did not require hospital treatment, while another was injured and has received medical care at a hospital,” Heni said in a written statement to journalists in Jakarta on Tuesday. “A third Indonesian crew member was reported by several international media outlets to have died in the incident. However, this information is still in the process of verification,” she added. She confirmed that the Indonesian Embassy in Muscat is continuing to monitor developments, particularly after establishing contact with the Indonesian crew on the MV Tihamah. The vessel is known to have been carrying a total of 11 crew members, consisting of eight Pakistani nationals and three Indonesians. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Indonesian Embassy in Muscat, will maintain communication with local authorities and other relevant parties to obtain further updates on the incident. “The Indonesian Embassy in Muscat is also communicating with the relevant authorities to obtain official confirmation regarding the condition and whereabouts of the Indonesian crew members concerned,” she said. Furthermore, the embassy will take necessary steps to ensure protection for the three affected Indonesian crew members, including providing the assistance and aid they require. The embassy is also considering facilitating the repatriation of the Indonesian crew members if conditions and circumstances permit, Heni stated. An Anadolu report mentioned that an Indonesian national was among three crew members killed in an attack on a commercial vessel in the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait. According to the government-affiliated television station Al-Jumhuriya TV on Tuesday, the attack, suspected to have been carried out by the Houthi group in Yemen, also killed two Pakistani nationals, based on initial reports. At the time, the Al-Jumhuriya TV report did not specify the name of the vessel attacked or its owner. There has been no statement yet from the Houthi group regarding the attack. The Bab Al-Mandeb Strait serves as the gateway to the Red Sea, located on the western side of the Arabian Peninsula.