A Panama-flagged cargo vessel carrying 24 crew members sank in the Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast on Saturday after communication with the ship was lost, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation by the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy.
The Indian Coast Guard said it was alerted about the loss of communication with MV Ocean Winner, which had 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national on board.
Two survivors have been rescued so far, while efforts to locate the remaining crew members are continuing.
Officials said the vessel sank approximately 240 nautical miles from Paradip in Odisha.
COMMUNICATION LOST WITH MV OCEAN WINNER
Authorities received information about the loss of communication with MV Ocean Winner before the vessel sank, officials said.
The ship had departed from the Odisha coast on Friday while carrying iron ore destined for Singapore.
A senior IPS officer had earlier told PTI that authorities were initially uncertain about the number of crew members who had been rescued.
The Coast Guard has since confirmed that two survivors were recovered.
COAST GUARD AND NAVY BEGIN RESCUE OPERATION
After communication with the ship was lost and the vessel sank, the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy launched a coordinated search and rescue mission.
Nearby vessels have also been alerted and asked to assist in locating the missing crew members.
The operation is currently focused on finding the remaining crew and determining their condition.
The circumstances that caused the vessel to sink have not yet been determined.
24 CREW MEMBERS WERE ON BOARD
According to the Indian Coast Guard, MV Ocean Winner was carrying 24 crew members, comprising 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national.
The vessel had sailed from the Odisha coast on Friday with a cargo of iron ore bound for Singapore.
It sank roughly 240 nautical miles from Paradip, leading the Coast Guard, Navy and nearby vessels to join the rescue operation.
With two crew members rescued so far, the search for those still missing remains underway.
Further information regarding the cause of the sinking and the status of the unaccounted crew members is awaited.
