Search continues for 22 missing after cargo ship sinks off India

Paradip, India. India’s Coast Guard and Navy continued search-and-rescue operations on Sunday after the Panama-flagged cargo vessel Ocean Winner sank off the country’s eastern coast, leaving 22 of its 24 crew members missing.

Two Chinese seafarers were rescued after the vessel developed a list on Friday and sank within eight minutes, according to Shyam Jagannathan, director general of India’s Maritime Administration.

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Missing crew

The 22 missing crew members include 18 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi, the Indian Coast Guard said.

Jagannathan said the likelihood of finding survivors generally drops sharply after 12 hours, although search operations were continuing.

Search operation

The Indian Navy said it was closely coordinating with the Coast Guard to locate the remaining crew.

The Coast Guard deployed two vessels from Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair, for the search-and-rescue operation, a Coast Guard spokesperson said.

Vessel and cargo

The Ocean Winner was carrying iron ore bound for China after departing Paradip port on Friday, according to an initial report based on information from India’s Maritime Administration.

Government sources said the vessel sank about 240 nautical miles from the port. The cause of the sinking was not immediately known.