Odisha, August 23: A Panama-flagged cargo vessel carrying 24 crew members sank in the Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast on Saturday, prompting a major search-and-rescue operation by the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy. Two sailors were found alive on a life raft on Saturday night, while efforts were underway to locate the remaining 22 crew members.
The vessel, MV Ocean Winner, sank around 240 nautical miles off Paradip, officials said. The Indian Coast Guard and Navy have deployed assets to search the area, while other ships operating nearby have also been alerted and asked to assist.
According to the Coast Guard, the crew comprised 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national.
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The vessel had departed from the Odisha coast on Friday carrying iron ore bound for Singapore. The Coast Guard received information about the loss of communication with the ship before it sank, triggering the emergency response.
The Coast Guard said it received information regarding the vessel losing communication with its base and subsequently launched a joint operation with the Navy to locate the ship and its crew.
Two crew members were later located alive on a life raft, although officials were initially uncertain about the total number of people who had been rescued.
PTI, quoting an unnamed police officer, reported that “authorities were initially unsure how many crew members had been rescued”.
The search operation is now focused on locating the remaining sailors and determining their positions at sea. Nearby vessels have been instructed to support the operation and remain alert for possible survivors.
The circumstances surrounding the sinking of MV Ocean Winner remain unclear. Officials have not yet established what caused the vessel to lose communication and subsequently go down in the Bay of Bengal.
The rescue operation was continuing as authorities worked to trace the missing crew members.
