China joins India search for 22 missing after cargo ship sinks

Mumbai: Chinese authorities were assisting India's search for 22 crew members missing after a Panama-flagged cargo vessel sank in the Bay of Bengal last week, the Indian Coast Guard said.

The MV Ocean Winner, carrying 24 crew members including 20 Chinese nationals, was sailing from Paradip port in the eastern Indian state of Odisha to Singapore when it sent a distress alert on Saturday.

The vessel reported trouble around 700 kilometres (435 miles) east of the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, prompting a rescue operation by Indian authorities.


Two people have been rescued, leaving 22 still unaccounted for.

Three crew members are from Myanmar and one from Bangladesh.

Despite locating an emergency beacon linked to the vessel, rescuers have yet to find any additional survivors, Indian Coast Guard spokesman Commandant Amit Uniyal said in a statement late Tuesday.

"Search and rescue efforts for the missing crew members of MV Ocean Winner have been further augmented in coordination with MRCC Beijing," Uniyal said, referring to China's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.

A lifeboat from the vessel has been spotted, but no survivors were found, he said.

Local media reports said two Chinese vessels had joined the search operation.

The cause of the sinking was not clear.