An alleged strike by Houthis on a cargo vessel has killed at least four people near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait off the coast of southern Yemen, the country’s internationally recognised government says according to AFP.

The Yemeni government’s transport ministry accused the Houthis of launching the salvo that hit a cargo vessel named the “Tihamah” with “three successive ballistic-missile strikes while it was sailing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait”.

“The Houthi attack on the vessel which was carrying food supplies sparked a fire on board, killed four crew members — three Pakistanis and one Indonesian — and injured four others, as well as a member of the rescue team,” said the ministry.

Meanwhile, a source from the Yemeni government forces based in the port city of Mokha said five people had been killed in the incident.