NEW DELHI: Search and rescue efforts continue off the eastern coast of India after a cargo ship registered in Panama sank, leaving 24 crew members in distress. TwoChinese sailors were saved, according to a senior official.
Reports indicate that the ship, named Ocean Winner, began to tilt on Friday and sank within just eight minutes, prompting its crew to abandon the vessel. Shyam Jagannathan, the director general of India’s Maritime Administration, shared this information with reporters.
Although the chances of locating any more survivors typically decrease significantly after the first 12 hours, rescue operations remain active. Currently, 22 crew members are still unaccounted for, including 18 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar, and one from Bangladesh, as stated by the Indian Coast Guard.
The Indian Navy is working closely with the Coast Guard to find the remaining crew, as noted in a message posted on social media.
To assist in rescue operations, the Coast Guard has dispatched two vessels from Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair.
The Ocean Winner was reportedly transporting iron ore from India’s Paradip port to China when it went down approximately 240 nautical miles from the port. The exact reason for the ship’s sinking is still unknown.
