SANAA, Yemen

Indian ship carrying a large shipment of cement from the United Arab Emirates intended for foreign military bases sank off the coast of Yemen’s Socotra province Wednesday, said Yemeni authorities, leading to the loss of one crew member and the rescue of eight others.

Saeed Al-Asmahi, director of the Coast Guard Forces in Socotra, said "the Indian ship, Al-Jilani, sank 30 nautical miles from the Socotra Archipelago carrying a cargo of 600 tons of cement,” according to the Yemeni official news agency Saba.

“Local authorities in the province mobilized a boat to the sinking site, and eight out of the nine crew members were rescued, while one is missing,” he added.

Al-Asmahi did not provide further details, and there has been no immediate comment from Indian authorities on the incident.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala